


Kingdom Hearts: Destiny's Fate

by LizLoves1997



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Both girls evading Mercenaries, Earth Mercenaries are in this story as well, F/F, F/M, Kairi develops feelings for Millie and vice versa, Kairi is Gay in this, Lieutenant Zadornov - Dangerous Commander of a mercenary company on the planet Earth, Millie has both Light and Darkness inside of her heart, Millie's favorite is Kairi, Watch out for the Darkness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2020-07-09 22:56:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19895728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizLoves1997/pseuds/LizLoves1997
Summary: When the dreams of Millicent "Millie" Willis become a reality, the video game player is forced to enter the Kingdom Hearts universe and search for a way to set things right. Meanwhile, Kairi has begun her Keyblade Training for the future conflict against Xehanort. When the two girls accidentally meet, a new adventure begins - however, it won't be very easy since they have to worry about other things besides the Organization and the Dark Keyblade Master (such as mercenaries from Earth who are looking for one thing in particular - to get paid and finish the jobs they were ordered to complete!). One thing is sure - this will be an adventure unlike any other that the world of Kingdom Hearts knows!





	1. Prologue: A Gamer's Dream and Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes:  
> I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor its characters – they belong to Tetsuya Nomura. I only own my OC Millie Willis!

Prologue – A Gamer's Dream and Reality.

" _ **Dreams… I've always wondered… Are they real or are they not?"**_

_I was falling… falling straight into the darkness… Where am I going exactly? Soon, I managed to open my eyes and noticed that I was about to fall on a watery platform._

_Okay… Now, I'm screwed. I don't know how to swim – Shit! I'm gonna drown – somebody help me!_

_However, instead of falling straight into the water – I managed to gently land on it. Strange, I thought that I was going to drown… Oh, well._

_So, where am I exactly? Some kind of inescapable prison with a watery platform or maybe it was something worse? I just couldn't tell._

_I looked at water and saw a reflection of myself - I had short black hair with a small blue streak at the front, brown eyes and pale skin. My outfit consisted of a gray t-shirt and gray shorts, a brown belt with holster and some kind of black, purple and light blue cloth, dark grey finger-less gloves, a dark purple bow on my left hand shoulder, a red bracelet with some yellow symbols on the right hand shoulder and lastly light grey shoes. I admit that it wasn't much of stylish outfit, but it was my favorite and I always enjoyed wearing it…_

_After looking at my own reflection, I raised my head and looked around for a few minutes. There was… nothing. So, what do I do now? Wait for something interesting to happen or maybe someone will come and explain why I am here?_

_Just then, I felt that somebody was behind me. Okay, why the hell did I had to open my month and ask if someone will come and explain why I ended up here in the first place? I really need to stop talking…_

_I took a deep breath and turned around, but what I saw… gave me the biggest shock of my life._

_It was… me!? However, there were some differences about my lookalike's appearance – It was black and grey in color. No, really! I am not kidding – the lookalike had black hair without the blue streak, black skin and black clothing. However, what intrigued and scared me the most were the double's eyes – they were golden._

_As I continued to stare at the dark clone of myself - I couldn't help, but feel a sense of déjà vu. It was like this strange dark form was very familiar, but I can't quite place my finger on it…_

_Wait a second… Dark skin and dark clothing, plus evil golden looking eyes… Oh, shit… I know what kind of dream this is now – It's a Kingdom Hearts related dream!_

_And that means my dark clone… is me in Anti-Form! Shit! I'm in so much trouble right about now!_

_Okay, Millie! Calm down and remember your training… You can defeat this impostor!_

… _Oh, who am I kidding? I'm not a fighter or anything big! I'm just a freaking 16-year old lover of video games!_

_Surprisingly, the dark clone of myself didn't attack me yet. That's strange, why isn't she-_

_Suddenly, my dark lookalike smirked at me and got into a defensive position. Better to be safe than sorry as they say…_

_The dark lookalike laughed and then started dissolving into a dark puddle which turns the entire water platform into a deep pool filled with pure darkness in a matter of seconds._

_And, to my rotten luck – I begin to get sucked into dark ocean platform. I try my best to get out, but no such luck! Damn it, no way out! I'm going to end up falling straight into a deeper darkness than this one!_

_Eventually, I was sucked in the dark puddle… where am I now? I'm falling once again into a deep and unescapable darkness. I guess this is the end for me… I have no idea on how to escape from this… dream of mine…_

_Will I be forced to endure this endless nightmare? Will I be forever a prisoner of the darkness? Will I-_

**BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!**

I snapped my eyes opened and stood up while sweat covered my entire body and face. Eventually, I looked around and to my relief – I was back in my comfortable bedroom and wearing my pajamas instead of my casual clothing.

"It was just a dream…" I declared with a calm expression on my face, as I laid comfortably on the pillows. Thank god, it was just a dream… Still, that place that I was standing on… was it a reality or not? I couldn't tell…

**BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!**

I gave an annoyed groan and slammed the top of the alarm clock before going back to sleep. "That mother of mine buys the worst birthday presents ever…" I stated with an annoyed groan and went back to sleep. Unfortunately, a knock on the door interrupted my slumber schedule and also opened my eyes as well.

"Yes?" I asked without even bothering to get up. I heard the door opening gently and a familiar voice called out to me. "Millie, sweetheart. You need to get up – you are going to be late for school." It was the voice of my mother and she just told me that-

Wait, WHAT!? LATE FOR SCHOOL!? I got up from the bed and looked at the alarm clock – 7:30! OH, MY GOD! I'VE OVERSLEPT! I HAVE 30 MINUTES LEFT BEFORE THE FIRST LESSON STARTS!

I jumped out of bed and pushed Mom out of the way to get to the bathroom as fast as possible…

**(A little later…)**

"Crap… crap… crap… crap… crap!" I declared with a worried tone as I rushed down the stairs and entered the kitchen. I needed to get a quick breakfast on the double and fast! I don't have time to eat any cereal or something else!

"Millie, sweetie… You have to calm down. I'll take to school in my car – you aren't going to be late." The voice of my mother acknowledged as she entered the kitchen.

My half-Japanese and half-American, calm and kind mother – Ayumi Willis. Like me, she had brown eyes and pale skin, but her hair was longer and its color was completely black. Her usual clothing, unlike mine consisted of a business woman's outfit. Believe it or not, my mother was the CEO of a big corporation somewhere in the city. However, we will get to that later. Right now, I had more important things to worry about…

"Mom, please don't tell me to not freak out! What if we get stuck in the rush hour again? What if I don't make it to school on time and get expelled? What if-" I was cut off by my mother hugging me and petting my hair gently.

"Millicent Willis, you aren't going to be late for school and you are definitely not getting expelled. I will take you with my car and you will be there on time. So, sweetheart – please calm down and relax." My mom told me and I gave out a sigh.

"How can I be calm, Mom? I've never overslept… I've always been known to wake up at 7:00 in the morning. But, this time – I've failed." Mom in response to that, smiled and petted me gently on the head.

"So, what if you overslept? I'm not mad at you and besides – my car is the fastest one in the neighborhood. We will arrive at your school before you can say Bugs Bunny. So, stop worrying, sweetie." At this sentence, I smiled at my mother and nodded. She had a point – I shouldn't be worrying and besides – our car is the fastest one in the neighborhood, plus the school was only a five-minute walk from our house. I guess I was just being paranoid about the whole thing…

"Yeah, you're right Mom. I'll stop worrying now." Mom smiled and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "That's my baby girl. Now, get your bag pack and meet me at the car. I'll be out as soon as I get your school lunch." At that statement, I groaned as I soon as I heard 'school lunch' – I always hated it when Mom gave me a bag filled with God-knows what. But, I guess I can't complain – it's better than the cafeteria stuff they give us every school day.

I picked up my school bag and went outside at the car to wait for my mother. While I was standing outside of the house - I couldn't help, but think about the dream that I had last night. Was it real or not? Did I really end up on a water platform and almost got killed by my dark clone? And more importantly – why did it seems so related to my favorite video game series Kingdom Hearts? Did that dream have a message of some sort? I just couldn't tell…

Oh, right! I forgot to mention what Kingdom Hearts is! For those of you who don't what that is, it is a-

"Millie, I've got the keys to the car and I've packed your lunch. Let's get going!" My mother said, as she locked the front door and gave me my lunch. I gave her a warm smile and entered the car. Well, time for another school day to begin…

**(Later on the main road…)**

Remember when I said that our car is the fastest one in the neighborhood? I wasn't lying – my mother owned a Ferrari. Being the CEO of the big corporation meant that she received a lot of money which was the reason we bought this fast car and a nice house in the suburbs. Nevertheless, the biggest reward she had ever received… was me.

I love my Mom to the death and I don't know what I'd do without her… Sure, she was busy running the corporation that she owned, but she always found time for me. Plus, Friday night was very special for both me and my mother – it was the time when we play video games together! What? You don't know that most children play games with their parents? Well, me and Mom do!

Yes, that is right. I am a video game player – I already mentioned that in my dream, but I'll say it again in case you all have forgotten. Anyways, I love playing video games in my free time. My favorite ones are Legend of Zelda, Assassin's Creed, Battlefield, Ratchet & Clank, etc. But, the one that I love and am a big fan the most is Kingdom Hearts.

And now I can explain exactly what that is – It is a Japanese RPG video game that follows the adventures of a teenager named Sora as he goes searching for his two friends Riku and Kairi on different worlds. It was developed by a company called Square Enix alongside Disney.

I just love absolutely everything about Kingdom Hearts – the characters, the storyline, the gameplay, the different Disney worlds… Oh, it is like a fairy tale! I've been a massive fan of the series ever since I was 12 years old.

Also, for those of you who don't know… I am a big Disney fan. My favorite characters from the franchise are in fact Mickey, Donald and Goofy. I just love how there are always getting into many different adventures.

As for Kingdom Hearts characters… I suppose I like Sora and Riku. And also Roxas, Axel and Xion… However, there is one character that I find the most interesting out of all the main protagonists – Kairi.

So, what do I like best about her? Well, for one - how her character has developed as the series progresses – she went from a damsel in distress to training to be a true heroine. Second – her personality. I admit that I really didn't like how Kairi acted in Kingdom Hearts 1 – she was too carefree and too brash and bold. The old personality annoyed me very much. But, Kingdom Hearts 2 – I grew to respect her as a video game character and was impressed at how mature she had become.

And one last thing that I like about her – she is now training to be a Keyblade Wielder. For those of you who don't know, in the newly released Kingdom Hearts game – Dream Drop Distance… Kairi is going to receive Keyblade training! That makes me so happy!

So, yeah – that's the whole story of how I became a fan of the Kingdom Hearts games. You know what would be really cool? Becoming a Keyblade Wielder, slaying the Heartless, Nobodies and hell – maybe the Unversed and fighting alongside Kairi…

Unfortunately, reality and dreams don't mix. I guess-

"Millie, we have arrived!" The voice of mother snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked out the window and saw that we had arrived at my school.

Huh, let me check my watch – 7:50. Well, I guess Mom was right – I did arrive on time.

I turned towards my mother and replied. "Thanks, mom. So, I guess I'll see you tonight, then?" Mom nodded and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I grabbed my backpack, left the car and started walking towards the school entrance.

"Bye, Millie. Don't get into any trouble!" My mother finished her speaking and then took off in her car to get to work.

I reached the school entrance and gave a small sigh. Well, another day of listening to teachers rambling about stuff that I don't really give a damn about…

**(Few hours later – the last minutes of the final lesson…)**

School is the most boring and most hellish place on the earth. I admit it – nothing to do, but sit and listen to teachers talking about stuff that might or might not help us in the future while writing down notes. Thank god that it is the final lesson of the day… I don't think I can handle much more school pressure. Unlucky for me though, today is Wednesday. So, that means – tomorrow, it is back to hell. Ugh…

After waiting forever, the last school bell finally rang. Amen! I'm out of here!

I started placing my things in my school bag when my teacher – Mr. Parker made an extra homework announcement. "Oh, make sure to read Shakespeare's Hamlet and a little bit of Mark Twain's Prince and the Pauper for Friday! Have a good day, dear children." Everybody, myself included groaned at the fact that the teacher gave us extra homework to do for literature. Well, the good news is that I don't have to read until tomorrow when I get home from school.

"So, how was today's literature class?" A familiar voice asked while I was busy picking up some stuff from my locker. It was my best friend – Melanie Garcia.

Unlike me, she had long curly red hair, bright green eyes and slight pink tan skin. Her clothing consisted of a blue t-shirt underneath a white jacket, a purple skirt, white long socks and black boots. Like me, she was also a video game player and another fan of the Kingdom Hearts series.

I turned to Melanie and replied. "The usual – teacher is giving us more and more homework to do. As if we didn't have enough already…" I finished speaking as I grabbed the stuff that I need and closed the locker after that.

We started walking towards the entrance and Melanie scolded me with a serious tone in her voice. "The teacher is doing you a favor, Millie. Becoming a future novelist isn't an easy thing – you need to be have lots of experience in literature and in English as well. How are you going to become a writer if you don't even want to do extra homework?" I gave a big sigh at her words – I knew that she was right.

"I know… but extra homework isn't going to help me at all." I replied back to Mel. The words that she told me were true, mind you. In the future, I want to become a full time novelist – writing fiction, crime or maybe even sci-fi stories. But, in order for me to accomplish that dream – I have to be really good in English and Literature. Not paying attention in class is indeed a bad omen.

Melanie rolled her eyes at my response and replied. "Extra homework won't help you? Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that and you will never become a novelist." At that response, I gave a sad frown and a sigh.

Mel noticed it and gave me a comforting reply. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those harsh words. But, still… you have to do as the teacher says or else you'll never graduate from high school." I nodded at her words.

When we exited the school and ended on the courtyard, Melanie gave me one more piece of advice. "Also, if you want to focus on Literature and English a lot better - stop playing Kingdom Hearts all of the time. I know that you and I are fans of the video game itself, but don't get obsessed."

At this, I looked at her with a face of hurt and sadness. I was about to open my mouth to speak, but my friend cut me off. "No, Millie – I'm being serious. You need to stop playing the game every day of the week. Look at me for example – I focus entirely on school during the week days. And when do I play the game – Friday Night and Saturday only. But, you? You play it every day – during the-" I placed a hand on her mouth and gave a frustrated sigh.

"Okay, I get it. I'm obsessed about Kingdom Hearts – what's your point?" I asked her and she rubbed her eyes with her hand in frustration.

After a few seconds of silence, she started speaking again. "My point… Millicent Willis is that you need to get lower your obsession of Kingdom Hearts a little bit. I'm not saying that you shouldn't stop liking the games or the fandom completely, but you need to focus on your studies a lot more. There is my point."

At this response, I didn't know what to say or do. I know that she is right - my school education is important, but I can't give up on Kingdom Hearts completely. It is my favorite video game after all and besides – what else am I supposed to do in my free time?

Melanie placed a hand on my shoulder and continued speaking with a smile on her face. "Look… Millie, I don't want to be a buzzkill or anything. But, the two of us aren't going to be in school forever – in two years, we both graduate and then we our adult life. I just… don't want to see you spend your entire life playing video games. I care about you, Mil. Plus, I really want to see and read a future novel written by you one day."

Maybe she's right… I might need to lower my obsession on Kingdom Hearts a little bit. If I'm ever going to become a famous novelist one day, I have to focus on school right now.

I looked at Melanie with a smile on my face and gave my reply. "Alright, I'll try and tone the Kingdom Hearts obsession down a little bit. You have a point – school is important right now."

My friend hugged me and said. "That's my bestie. Also, if you want some more advice – try doing a different hobby besides playing. Like – writing or maybe drawing something from other video games, not just Kingdom Hearts." I nodded at this advice.

"Good, I have to get moving now Mil. I have lots of homework to do and chores as well. Until tomorrow!" Melanie exclaimed, as she waved goodbye to me and started running towards her home.

I waved back with a smile and started walking back towards my house. After our little conversation, I began reflection on the advice that Melanie gave me – _'focus on school'_ and _'lower the KH obsession down a little bit'_.

It is good advice actually, now that I think about it. Still… I can't stop thinking about Kingdom Hearts.

Man, it would be really cool if I can travel to the KH universe, teaming up with my favorite character, battling different enemies, meeting new faces…

Ugh! Millicent Willis – Melanie is right! You are playing too much Kingdom Hearts and you need to slow down.

I guess I'll take my best friend's advice and tone down my obsession with the video game a little bit…

**(Another universe…)**

In golden-brown colored room, a 16-year-old teenage girl was practicing a couple of techniques with a key-shaped weapon on a couple of wooden dummies. Her hair was long and had a dark shade of red, her eyes were blue just like the sea and her skin was pale. Her attire consisted of white halter top with a black hood underneath a pink strapless mini-dress made up of three zippers. There were three bracelets on her left wrist, a black belt with a note-book shaped bag attachment. Lastly, her footwear consisted of lilac sneakers.

Right now, she closed her eyes and began to concentrate. The first thing that she had to do was master the basics of this training session and she wasn't going to give up just yet. Not when she finally had the chance to train and fight alongside her childhood friends Sora and Riku! She was tired of being a damsel in distress – it was time for her to prove that she more than just a princess.

After a couple of seconds, she opened her eyes and charged forward. She began striking the dummy as hard as she could while unleashing a couple of combinations. Eventually, she knocked an arm and leg off the dummy which in turn put a smile on her face. Good - she was doing well for a simple teenager. After unleashing a few more hits on the dummy, she finally beat it to the floor and then gave herself a sigh.

"That's enough for now." She stated with a smile on her face. Two hours – she had been training for at least two hours, but the girl still had a long way to go if she going to become something more.

She then took a look at her key-shaped weapon – it was round and curvaceous and at first point appeared to be harmless. One side of the hilt was formed in the shape of a breaking ocean wave while the other was formed into a beige vine of sand that wrapped around the shaft which somehow resembled a sunset. The vine was connected to a bouquet of colorful flowers which formed the teeth of the weapon and somehow entwined to create an outline of a heart. Lastly, a red silken keychain was connected to a token which resembled a fruit known as paopu.

It was hard to believe that she was a wielder of this key-shaped weapon – it felt so… so… right. Like a missing piece of her was finally found. And now she had the chance to fight alongside her best friends!

But, still… what if she didn't deserve to wield a weapon of such power and skill? She was afraid of failing her training and losing her best friends Sora and Riku… Was she even…

No! She had to try her best, not just for her sake… but for her best friends as well.

"Training hard as usual, Kairi?" A familiar voice interrupted the thoughts of the girl now known as Kairi. She turned around and came face to face with a friendly creature with big ears. She had met him a long time ago when Sora first came to rescue in the World that Never Was.

It was an anthropomorphic mouse with black fur, big round ears of the same color and a thin, long black tail. His face on the other hand was cream-colored. The attire of the mouse was a short-sleeved jacket with white lining – the top half was black while the bottom half was red, there were also two yellow straps dangling in front of it. His pants were red and a zipper was sported going down the front of each leg – a yellow pouch with a black strap covered it while on the outer side of both legs, there was a blue strap. Lastly, his footwear consisted of very large, yellow shoes with grey backs and two orange, intersecting straps attached to the front.

"Oh! Your Majesty, I didn't hear you come in." Kairi replied as she gave a bow to the mouse king.

The creature in turn smiled at the girl. "It's fine. No need to worry about that – I just came to see how your training is progressing." The king explained.

"Oh, it's coming along great! Thank you for asking me, King Mickey." Kairi exclaimed with a gentle smile to the mouse known as Mickey.

The king in turn smiled and nodded, but gave a look of concern when he saw the smile on Kairi's face which had disappeared and turned into a sad frown.

"What's wrong, Kairi? Is something the matter?" Mickey asked.

Kairi looked at him with a sad look. "Your Majesty… am I… worthy of becoming a Keyblade Wielder?" She asked.

The king smiled and replied. "Of course you are, Kairi! You are more than capable to be a wielder… just like Sora and Riku."

The teenage girl kneeled in front of the king and looked at him with the sad look still on her face. "I not so sure, your Majesty… I feel like I'm going to screw up somewhere and in the process my friends will get hurt." She stated with a sigh.

The king looked at her with a smile and started to reply. "Kairi, listen to me – you are not going to be a failure. Do you know why?" She shook her head.

The mouse raised his hand and pointed it at Kairi's chest which surprised her a lot. "It's because of your heart - the reason in which you strive to become a wielder and fight alongside your friends. I know you will succeed just like Sora and Riku."

The comment made the girl smile once again – King Mickey was right. Her heart was the reason that she was striving to fight alongside her friends with a Keyblade. No more damsel in distress – it was her time to shine.

"Yeah, you're right. I just have to keep training and I know I'll get better and better some day!" Kairi exclaimed with a determined tone to which the king smiled.

"That's the spirit! Don't give up and in the end – the results will be worth it. In no time, you'll be fighting alongside your friends. Trust me." King Mickey said.

Kairi smiled again. "Alright, your Majesty. I trust you and… thank you for the kind words." She finished speaking.

"Oh, gosh…" King Mickey started with a laugh. "I'm glad to be of help. You know… Kairi, if you want some help with the training – I've got just the thing for you. A little assignment if you will…"

Kairi was now curious. "An assignment, your Majesty?" She asked and the king nodded in return.

"…What kind of assignment are we talking about?" Kairi asked.

**(Millie's home – nighttime…)**

…And that should do it. After a long and grueling five hours of doing homework, I finally finished doing it. But, right now – I was super bored. Nothing to do, but lay on the couch in the living room. Granted, I could play Kingdom Hearts for a little bit… However, I made a promise to my best friend that I would not start the console and pick up the controller.

Still, there was something I could do instead of playing the game – maybe I could draw something or write a little. Ugh, I so hated decisions…

After a few quiet minutes of laying on the couch had passed, I made up my mind and got up to get a piece of paper and some pencils. I'm gonna draw something related to the Kingdom Hearts – maybe a keyblade. But, which one?

Hmm… I've got it! Destiny's Embrace!

I started drawing the keyblade very carefully since I wasn't exactly an art professional. Still, this might be an interesting hobby to do…

**(30 minutes later…)**

Drawing is really hard work… I made a couple of mistake on Destiny's Embrace and had to erase them, but I'm nearly finished with my masterpiece.

Just before I started coloring my work, I heard the front door opening. I placed my pencils down and turned to see who it was since I'm in the living room. Turns out it was my mother coming home from work.

"Hey, Mom. Welcome home – how was work today?" I asked with a curious look on my face.

My mother gave me a smile and replied. "Exhausting as usual, Mil. I tell you – being the CEO of a corporation isn't an easy job. I'm just glad to be back at home and see how my baby girl is doing."

"Mom! I'm not a baby anymore – I'm 16!" I exclaimed with a chagrin look. I hated it when Mom called me her "baby girl" – It made me feel like I'm still a toddler.

Mom walked over to me and hugged me from behind. "Oh, I can't help it Millie! You are my pride and joy!" She exclaimed with a cheerful smile on her face.

I blushed in embarrassment and started pouting. "Mom, please stop hugging me! Please, for the love of God!" I demanded.

She gave a small chuckle and released me. "Okay, okay Mil. Your wish is my command." She replied.

"Thank you." I said and then returned to drawing Destiny's Embrace.

My mother, curious on what I was doing peeked over my shoulder and saw that I was doing a drawing.

"What are you drawing, sweetie?" My mother asked and I quickly hid the drawing from her. "Drawing? Don't be silly, Mom. I'm not drawing." I answered quickly while lying since I didn't want Mom to find out what I was doing at the moment.

Unfortunately, that didn't work as she gave me a smirk. "What's wrong, Millie? Are you by any chance scared?" She asked.

I gave her an annoyed look. "What? I'm not scared! It's just…" I gave a small sigh before I continued speaking. "You will probably think that my art is bad and you'll embarrass me…"

My mother had a shocked look on her face. "Millie! How could you even say such a thing? I would never say anything bad about your art and in fact – I bet that it will be a good drawing." She replied and I gave a sigh once again.

"Promise that you will not laugh?" I asked and she made raised her hand. "Scout's honor, honey." She replied.

Well, scout's honor is good enough… I guess. I pulled out the drawing and gave it to my mother who began to examine it.

I waited for a couple of seconds and then my mom placed down the drawing on the table, looked at me and gave me a smile and a hug. "Millie, this is beautiful! You definitely have skills." She answered and I gave her a look of surprise.

"R-really? Do you like it?" I asked her and she nodded.

"Yes, this is really good. However, I can't help, but feel that I've seen this key-shaped weapon from somewhere…" My mother replied.

"It should be obvious Mom. The weapon is called a Keyblade from the Kingdom Hearts series." I explained.

"Oh, yeah! Your favorite video game series, right?" Mom asked and I nodded.

"What kind of Keyblade are you doing right now, Mil?" She asked and I replied. "It's Destiny's Embrace – it belongs to my favorite character Kairi."

Mom nodded with a smile. "It is a good drawing. Also, I'm very impressed by the fact that you aren't playing video games right now and taking up a hobby. Why the sudden change?" She asked.

"Melanie told me that I needed to lay off the Kingdom Hearts addiction a little bit - Since, I have to focus on Literature and English right now during the week days." I answered and she petted me on the head.

"Smart girl that Melanie is. She has a point, Millie – right now, school is more important than video games." She replied and then got up and started walking towards the kitchen.

I was about to resume working on my drawing when. "Oh, Mil – I would recommend you stay inside the house. Rumor has it that a big storm is scheduled to appear tonight." My mother told me.

I was confused by this – I thought that during the whole week there would be clear skies and no rainy forecast. Why this sudden change now?

"A storm? Seriously? Did the meteorologists screw us over again?" I asked and she gave me a shrug.

"I have no idea, sweetie. Also, would you like me to order some sushi for dinner tonight?" She asked.

I nodded with a smile - I love sushi with a burning passion! I looked at my mother and nodded.

She nodded back and started dialing on her smartphone as I resumed my drawing…

**(Later…)**

…And done! I've finally finished my drawing of the Destiny's Embrace Keyblade and I was proud of it.

Dinner, unfortunately wasn't still ready - so I decided to lay down and close my eyes. Maybe I'll take a little short nap…

Sadly, fate didn't allow me that choice as the entire house suddenly became black and dark. Something's probably wrong with the power…

"Oh, oh… That's not good." Mom called out from the kitchen.

I got up and looked at her. "Is there a power outage, Mom?" I asked and she nodded.

"Probably. It possible due to the storm getting more and more worse – I just hope that by tomorrow it goes away." She replied.

I nodded back – I'm hoping for the same thing as well.

"Still…" She continued. "Millie, would you please be a dear and go check on the fuse box in the basement?" She finished and I nodded in return.

"Kay, Mom. In the meantime, where is the delivery man with the sushi?" I asked, as I got up.

"He should be here any minute right now. In the meantime, go and check on the fuse box." Mom ordered me and I complied.

Before descending into the basement, I grabbed a flashlight from a nearby living room cabinet and then I started walking down the stairs.

Upon arriving, I activated my flashlight and started searching for the fuse box. "Alright, let's have a look… Boxes… my old tricycle that I received as a gift when I was still in kindergarten… Hmmm… no such luck yet." I said.

I continued looking for the fuse box and eventually, I had finally found it on the far end of the room.

"Good, now let me see what the problem is…" I stated as I started walking.

I pointed the flashlight at the fuse box and took a closer look. Hmm… so far nothing seems to be out of place, strange. Let me check inside… I opened the fuse box and looked, but no such luck – nothing seems to be broken.

I closed the fuse box and gave a sigh. Something's wrong – normally, a fuse box would be broken or short-circuited if there is power outage or a bad weather. Yet, I don't see anything out of place…

Wait a minute… I raised my flashlight and started looking for any wires that were disconnected or cut-off. Let's see…

So far, nothing… I don't see anything of place… Hmmm… There has to be something I've overlooked… I mean I can't just-

Ah-ha! What do we have here? I kneeled down and took a closer look at one of the wires – yep, that's definitely what I was searching. But, it's really weird – the wire looks like it had been cut or chewed off by something. I was careful not to touch it in fear of getting electrocuted.

Now, for the million dollar questions – how did the wire disconnect from the fuse box and who did it?

Just when I was about to think some more, a familiar scream interrupted my thoughts. "WHAT ARE YOU!?" It was my Mom! Sounds like she is in trouble!

"Mom! Hang on, I'm coming!" I yelled, as I rushed forward with the flashlight in my hand up the stairs.

I re-entered the living room and ran straight for the kitchen, but what I saw… shocked me very much.

I had arrived just in time to see my mother's heart being extracted from her own body by… the fucking HEARTLESS FROM KINGDOM HEARTS!

"Millie…" those were my mother's last words before she disappeared and was replaced by a Neoshadow.

I stood still with a shocked look on my face as tears began to fall. I couldn't believe it… my mother… just had her heart stolen by a creature that I thought was only fictional… Is… this for real?

Suddenly, the Neoshadow looked at me and soon I noticed that more and more Shadows began to appear inside the kitchen. At this point… I felt scared and what was worst – I had nothing to defend myself with.

What am I going to do? Is this how things are going to end? Will my heart be extracted just like my mother's? Will the Heartless destroy my world? Will I-

" _You need to run inside the corridor and be quick!"_ An unknown voice called out to me. What the hell? Who was that and what corridor is she talking about?

" _Turn around and run towards the corridor. Please, hurry!"_ The unknown voice pleaded with me. I turned around and to my surprise – a corridor of darkness from Kingdom Hearts had appeared. What the hell is going on…

" _Millie, please! I promise that I will the questions that you have, but you need to trust me!"_ The voice spoke and I was shocked! It knew my name as well? How is that possible!?

"Who are you and what's going on!?" I yelled at the mysterious voice.

" _Listen! You have to go now – the Heartless are about to find the heart of your world and devour it! Please, you have to trust me! I will explain everything soon enough, but you need to go! Now!"_ The voice ordered me.

I had no idea what to do – should I trust the mysterious voice and do as it says or should I stay and let the Heartless devour my heart and the entire Earth?

I turned around and to my shock, the shadows began to charge at me. I dodged out of the way very quickly and my mind was made up – I'm going through the dark portal!

No way I'm going to stay here and die! I reached the portal entrance and took a deep breath. I sure hope I don't regret this! I ran straight into the portal and left my home far behind…


	2. Chapter 1: Inside the Heart and Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes:  
> I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor its characters – they belong to Tetsuya Nomura. I only own my OC Millie Willis!

Chapter 1 – Inside the Heart and Trouble.

Today is possibly the worst day of my entire goddamn life as a 16-year old teenager. First, I dreamt about a dark clone attacking me and dissolving into a dark puddle; next, I had to slow down my Kingdom Hearts addiction down due to me studying to be an author in the future and lastly – the fucking Heartless from Kingdom Hearts took my mother's heart! I would have been next if an unknown voice hadn't saved me by opening a corridor of darkness behind me. I took the risk and entered it…

Now, I have no idea where I am and what has happened to my home. However, that doesn't matter at all… I have questions that are more important on my mind.

The Heartless from Kingdom Hearts along with the corridor of darkness – they were real…? It couldn't be true – I refused to believe it. But how can it be a lie when I saw the creatures of pure darkness and the corridor with my own eyes…

No – it is not a lie. It is the truth – whatever I say or think the results are the same. Kingdom Hearts is real and not a fantasy. But how? How did it become real?

More importantly, my mother's heart had been taken by the Heartless. Mom… I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you. I tried holding back my tears, but it was proving to be a hard job.

No, I shouldn't lose hope – from what I learned in my knowledge of the Kingdom Hearts series… whenever a person loses their heart to the Heartless, a Heartless and Nobody is formed. Which means… all I have to do is find my mother's Heartless and Nobody, destroy them (if possible) and she will return to normal!

Yeah… That's what I need to do. I shouldn't give up hope! I'm going to save my mom no matter what! But first – where am I going to end after entering the corridor of darkness?

Soon, my question was answered as I ended on the other side of the corridor. Now, where am I exactly…?

As the dark corridor closed behind me, I looked around and discovered that I was standing on some kind of platform in a dark area or something like that. Hmm… for some reason, this is all very familiar to me.

Soon, a light came from above and the entire place became bright. I looked down to get a good view of the platform I was standing on and shock filled my entire body.

I was on… a Station of Awakening!? That means - I'm inside my own heart, which also indicates that Kingdom Hearts is no mere fantasy.

The stained glass was colored gray with a hint of blue that featured a portrait of myself along with small circles in the center that had a couple of different faces in them. My eyes widened when I saw who they were – familiar characters.

"Kairi… Mom… Melanie…" I said, as I took a closer look at their faces. Hard to believe that I was standing in my own heart…

Few minutes later, I stopped looking at their faces and gave a calm sigh. "So, this is what it is like to be inside your own heart…" I told myself.

" _Correct."_ The unknown voice! It came back!

I stood in full attention and started looking around for the owner of the unknown voice. "Where are you?" I asked.

" _Unfortunately, I cannot reveal myself to you… yet. However, I can assure you that I am not your enemy."_ The voice gave a reply.

I let my guard down after that statement and gave a calm sigh – it is true that the unknown voice saved me from the Heartless by opening a corridor of darkness. Still, should I trust it?

"Hmmm… Who are you exactly?" I asked.

In the distance, I could hear a giggle – not an evil one, but a friendly and cheerful one. _"I am what you would call a guardian angel. I've been watching you for a while, Millie Willis."_

I shivered at the voice's words. "You've… been… watching me…?" I asked.

" _That is correct."_ Unknown voice replied.

"Why? Have I done anything wrong?" I asked.

" _What? No! You have done nothing wrong - I am here to guide you through your journey."_ The voice told me and I became confused.

My journey…? What did the unknown voice mean and where am I going exactly…?

"W-what kind of journey do you mean…" I asked.

The next answer shocked me. _"Your journey as a Keyblade Wielder."_ My jaw dropped along with my eyes widening. Me… a K-Keyblade Wielder!? Oh, dear god…

"T-there must be a mistake! I can't be a Keyblade Wielder! Only a strong heart can wield the mighty weapon! My heart is a really weak one…" I said.

" _No, Millie. Your heart is indeed strong and powerful – just like Sora and his friends…"_ Unknown voice told me.

"But, I'm just a regular pers-" I stopped talking when the unknown voice told me something that surprised me a lot. "Wait a minute… did you just say Sora and his friends? Do you know them by chance?" I asked in a suspicious tone.

" _Well, in manner of speaking – yes, I do know them. Or rather, my other half Kairi is a best friend of theirs…"_ The voice told me.

My eyes widened when the voice mentioned Kairi and other half. It couldn't be… No, it can't be her… She became whole by joining with Kairi in the World that Never Was. And yet...

There was a small silence for a minute or two before I looked up to the black sky or whatever and opened my month. "Are you... _Naminé by chance_?"

I got my answer in the form of a kind giggle coming from the black sky or area. _"Very clever, Millie. It is indeed me."_ She replied.

So many questions were floating around in my head – how was Namine inside my heart? Did she join with Kairi and became whole? More importantly, how did she get here?

"I d-don't understand this. Namine, how did you get inside my heart? I thought you joined with Kairi, became whole and ceased to exist! What's going on!? Am I going crazy!?" I asked in complete panic mode.

" _Millie! Calm down! You are not crazy. Everything, including me talking to you is real. I have joined with Kairi, yes… However, I still have not faded back into darkness - I'm speaking to you telepathically, Millie."_ Namine explained which made me calm down – a little bit.

"Umm… okay. Is there… any particular reason on why you came here? Oh, that reminds! Can every Nobody use telepathy like you are doing now…?" I asked curiously.

" _Well, no… not to my knowledge anyways. I'm the first it seems… But that is not important right now. Millie, you have a choice to make."_ Namine told me.

The confusion returned as I looked at the black sky or area. "A choice…?" I scratched my head before continuing to speak. "What… exactly am I going to be doing?" I asked.

In the distance, I could hear a sigh. _"Millie, I will get straight to the point – the fighting between Xehanort is going slow and hard. Even though Sora, Riku, Kairi and Lea are training hard to safeguard the realm of Light, I fear it is not enough. Roxas and I can feel something – Xehanort is amassing an army. Not just the true Organization XIII, the Heartless and Nobodies. He is planning to travel to other worlds in search of worthy allies to recruit his cause…"_ She explained.

Namine's words shocked and surprised me – is she serious? Is Xehanort planning to create an army of people who have darkness in their hearts? Actually… it does make sense. He did ally himself with Maleficent… But the question remains – what kind of new allies will he gather?

"Okay, that is definitely not good news… Has he started gathering his allies yet?" I asked.

" _No. Not yet – he is currently busy searching for new worlds by dispatching his Heartless and Nobodies to do reconnaissance at the far reaches of the Universe…"_ Namine told me.

"So… that means there is still time?" I asked.

" _Yes. But only so little… Millie, the time has come for you to choose – you have to decide if you want to be a Keyblade Wielder. If you accept, I will perform a Dive to the Heart for you. Once finished, you will end in Traverse Town where hopefully Sora or one his friends will find you. The road is very dangerous; however… others will try to use you for their own selfish gains. Yet, I believe that you will succeed. Millie, I know this is a rather hard decision for you to make but we need someone with your skills to help Kairi and her friends."_ Namine explained.

I looked to the floor and gave a sigh. "Namine… I would love to help you. But I'm just a video game player. Sure, I might be familiar with Kingdom Hearts and whatnot… However, what can I do? I don't think I'll do a good job…" I said.

" _Millie, I know that this is a hard decision for you to make… But Kairi and her friends need all the help they can get. Listen, I believe that you will do a good job. Just look at Sora – when he first started his adventure, he did not know what he was doing. But now… look at him. He defeated Ansem, Xemnas and the entire original Organization XIII. When you look at it, you two don't seem all that different."_ She said.

Well, yea… Namine did bring up a good point. Sora started out by not knowing what he was getting into and now look at him – he is an experienced fighter and professional. Still…

" _Trust me, Millie - You'll do great. Besides, there is no turning back now. I can't return you to your home - The Heartless have probably destroyed it by now. Therefore, the question remains – will you accept the offer to be a Keyblade Wielder and assist Sora, Kairi and their friends?"_ Namine asked me.

I looked at the portraits and my image as I thought whether I should accept the offer to be a Keybearer.

To be honest, she is right – even if I refuse, I can't go back home. By now, my planet is probably destroyed by the Heartless. So… that's a negative choice.

On the other hand, this might the big moment I've been waiting for. Me – a Keyblade Wielder. I have been a fan of the series for a long time even since I was 12… I've got nothing to lose by not accepting the offer. Besides, I might be able to find my mother's Heartless and Nobody, destroy them and hopefully see her again… as a human once more. Who knows? Maybe this won't be so bad after all…

Alright, I've decided! "Namine, I accept the offer." I told her.

" _Thank you, Millie! I promise you that you won't regret a thing! Now, then…"_ She stopped speaking as I noticed that three familiar pedestals aroused from the ground. Time for my Dive to the Heart tutorial to begin…

" _You already know that power sleeps within you…"_ She said and the red shield with the Mickey Head symbol appeared on the first pedestal.

" _Give it form…"_ The green staff with the Blue Mickey head appeared on the second pedestal.

" _And it will give you strength."_ Finally, on the third pedestal – the metal sword with the blue handle and yellow pommel appeared.

" _Choose wisely, Millie."_ Namine told me.

I stared at the weapons quietly and pondered on what I should pick. Just then, a curious question occurred to me. "Namine, each of the dream weapons represent a certain skill, right?" I asked.

" _I believe so. The sword represents attacking; the shield – defending; the staff – magic. You are familiar with this – pick a weapon and give up one in return. Don't worry, Millie - Giving up a certain skill doesn't mean you won't be able to use it. It just means you won't get better at it."_ Namine explained.

"Ah, thanks for telling me that. I've always wondered if the dream weapons represented any skills…" I told her and started looking at what weapon I should.

Hmmm… the sword might seem like an interesting weapon to wield, but I don't know if I possess any kinds of strength or courage. I am a video game player after all...

The shield… well, I only have one friend – Melanie. I don't know who else to protect. I mean – the repel all-part is nice and all… Yet, who else to protect besides my best friend?

You know what? I'm gonna choose the rod – a perfect weapon for an adventurer like me… I think.

I ran to the second pedestal and picked up the staff. _"The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. Is this the power you seek?"_ Namine asked me.

"Yes. And… out of curiosity, the staff isn't just used for ruin, right?" I asked.

" _Correct, Millie. Now…"_ The staff disappeared from my hands – just like in the tutorial. _"What weapon will you give in exchange?"_ Namine's voice asked me.

I already know what to give up – the sword. I don't need courage or terrible destruction…

Picking up the sword, I stared at it as Namine's voice spoke up once more. _"The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Do you give up this power?"_ She asked me.

"Yes." Once I gave my answer, the sword disappeared just like the rod.

" _You've chosen the power of the mystic and given up the power of the warrior. Do you choose this form, Millie?"_ Namine asked me.

I nodded at the black sky. "Yes, I do."

The three pedestals sunk back into the ground and the entire glass floor started shattering. Eventually, I fell into the darkness once more…

Soon, I landed on a new glass platform, which was pink. You'll never guess which Kingdom Hearts character was depicted on it…

It was Kairi in her Kingdom Hearts II form! The four circles in the center featured four familiar characters – Sora, Riku, Roxas and Namine. As for every other circle – there were paopu fruits.

As I stared at Kairi's Station of Awakening, wondering what to do next – the magic rod that I had chosen appeared in my hands.

That means… it is time for the fight against the Shadows. "Namine, if I'm not mistaken – the Shadows will now appear and attack me. Correct?" I asked.

" _Yes, Millie. In fact, here they come! Prepare!"_ I nodded and got into an attack position.

The Shadows with the broken antennas and yellow eyes came out of the ground and charged at me. I dodged out of the way and started hitting them with my rod – one of them tried to attack me from behind, but I was quick. I destroyed the shadow and focused on the rest.

Eventually, the rest disappeared into the ground and at the center – a black vortex appeared and stretched across the entire glass floor. I ended up being stuck and tried my best to escape. No such luck… Eventually, I was sucked in and everything became black.

Later, I opened my eyes and found myself on a new glass floor, which was colored red. The image of Melanie Garcia was depicted on it while in the center I saw portraits of myself, Melanie's and mine's mother along with a video game controller.

I got up and looked around when I noticed the locked door in the center, which lead to the area where three people would ask me questions about myself.

Upon walking and touching the handles of the door, I realized that it was locked. Huh, strange…

" _For this next part of the Dive to the Heart, I will be the one to ask you the questions. Are you ready?"_ Namine asked me.

Although, I was a little bit confused at the fact that Namine was going to be the one asking me questions, I didn't object.

"Yep, lay them on me!" I said with a determined tone.

" _Millie, what is the most important thing to you?"_ Namine asked me.

Alright, let me think about this… most important thing to me… Hmm…

I came up with the answer. "The most important thing to me is my friendship with Melanie."

" _Interesting… Now, for the second question – what are you afraid of?"_ My worst fear… Good question. Let me see…

The answer eventually appeared in my head. "To be honest, Namine… My worst fear is seeing everyone in front of me die or disappear. I am afraid of losing my mother or any friend that I have made."

" _Hmm… very well. What do you want out of life, Millie?"_ Hmm… a good question. My ultimate goal… Well, I want to be a future author. But I don't think Namine would appreciate my answer…

Well... there is another life goal of mine. "My life goal is to travel and see new areas. Learn all I can about life and nature itself… That sort of thing." I gave my answer.

" _You want to remain best friends with Melanie. You are afraid of losing your mother or any friend you make. You want to travel and learn new things. Your journey begins very soon. Keep a steady pace and you'll do fine."_ Namine told me and I gave a nod.

"Sounds good to me." I said and then opened the door – a bright light blinded me, but I manage to walk on.

I found myself once more on my own Station of Awakening as the Shadows came out from the ground to attack me. Taking out my staff, I managed to knock some of them back while the rest gave me small scratches. Soon, the Shadows were destroyed but more showed up much to my displeasure. I dodged and started counterattacking them – some of them attempted to scratch me but I was quick. Soon, it was all over – I had defeated all of the Shadows.

In the center, a light appeared – it was time for my battle against the Darkside. One of the easiest bosses in the Kingdom Hearts series.

Once I got into position in the center of glass form, I could feel my shadow becoming bigger and bigger.

" _The closer you get to the light, the more powerful your shadow gets, Millie."_ Namine told me.

I turned around and gave an awe – my shadow was getting bigger and bigger. Okay, I'll admit - he is much scarier than in the video game…

My shadow became the easiest boss in the series Darkside with its small wings, yellow eyes and a heart-shaped hole.

" _Do not fear him, Millie…"_ Namine reassured me.

I took out my rod and prepared for battle. _"You are stronger than him because you wield the mightiest weapon of all."_ Namine said and I felt much more confident. I can beat him!

I charged at Darkside and started hitting his right arm and head with everything I had. Soon - the monster raised his left fist, charged it and slammed it into the glass floor.

A black vortex had been created followed by Shadows appearing to attack me. I paid no attention to them and continued hitting the right arm of Darkside.

Soon, he started shooting dark energy balls at me. I dodged or used the Shadows as cover in order to continue hitting the right arm. The fight was going pretty well, so far…

A few more hits later, I was ready to deliver the final blow. Time to finish this bastard for good!

I rushed forward and delivered a very hard blow to the head – the Darkside along with any remaining Shadows evaporated into a smoky darkness, and the only one remaining on the glass floor was myself.

I did…! Woohoo! I won! Take that, you big and scary bastard!

" _Millie, well done! You have no idea how proud am I! Not only have you passed your Dive to the Heart, but you also have proven yourself a worthy Keyblade Wielding candidate! Congratulations! You have passed the test."_ Namine told me.

I couldn't help, but smile – that wasn't a hard job at all. Maybe I'll do a good job after all…

"Say, Namine… was this how Sora and Roxas were during their Dives to the Heart? Was it this hard for both of them?" I asked in a curious tone.

" _Somewhat… But in the end – they succeed. It wasn't a hard test – let me tell you that… Now, then."_ In front of me, a Corridor of Darkness was opened – this no doubt lead straight to Traverse Town.

" _This corridor will take you straight to Traverse Town - from here on, you are on your own. I've helped you pass the test… it now falls to you, Millie Willis. Show the universe what you are made of. Your journey begins now."_ Namine said.

I gave a nod. "Before I go, Namine… let me ask this – when will the Keyblade appear in my hands?" I asked.

" _The Keyblade will appear when your heart is at its strongest state. I have a feeling that time will come very soon… For now, go forth Millicent Willis and prove yourself that you can be a hero just like Sora and his friends. Good luck!"_ Namine told me.

I nodded with a determined smile and entered the Corridor of Darkness. Well, here I go! Time to prove to the universe and myself that I am more than just a video game player!

**(Traverse Town – the First District...)**

Kairi had just arrived in Traverse Town's First District and sat down at the local café in order to get a drink and something to eat. While waiting for her food and beverage to arrive, the red-haired girl began to think on where she should begin her search.

King Mickey's mentor, Master Yen Sid had sensed the presence of a new Keyblade Wielder that had just appeared in Traverse Town. Originally, the wizard thought of sending Sora, Riku or Lea to find him or her, yet the king insisted on giving the job to Kairi. Mickey thought that this was a good opportunity for the seventh Princess of Heart to prove herself. Kairi didn't object to the idea – the chance she was looking for. Observing and watching the new Keyblade Wielder was the first step from being a damsel in distress to becoming a true hero.

Kairi was so quiet and wrapped in her thoughts that she didn't notice a waiter arriving with her food and drink. "Your dinner, Madam." He said and placed it gently on the table.

"Thank you, sir." Kairi replied and gave him the correct amount of munny to pay for the food. The waiter bowed with a nod and left the girl alone.

"Alright, let's eat. I'm famished!" Kairi said with a smile, as she picked up the utensils and began to eat her dinner...

**(Meanwhile – in the Second District Alleyway…)**

I came out from the other side of the corridor of darkness and gave a calm sigh. Looks like I made it safely and without no problems whatsoever…

The corridor behind me closed and observed my surrounding – light signs and drainage pipes with bars… looks like I'm in the alleyway of the Second District in Traverse Town. Huh, Namine wasn't kidding… She really did say that the corridor of darkness would take me straight to Traverse Town, although I originally hoped that I would end in the First District. Oh, well… you can't always get what you wish.

Anyways, no use staying in this alleyway… I need to move before the Heartless or Nobodies find me. Remembering my knowledge of Traverse Town from the first time I played Kingdom Hearts 1, I turned around and entered the hotel in hopes of reaching the main entrance in time.

Once I left the hotel on the other side, I found myself observing the main courtyard of the Second District. It is the same as I remembered while playing the first Kingdom Hearts game – the fountain where the Keyhole was hidden, the Gizmo Shop, the Hotel behind me, the Bell Tower and other shops…

I couldn't help but feel so mesmerized and attracted to the area – especially the architecture. This place looks so… so… free and breathtaking. Hmm, how exactly was Traverse Town created…?

Unfortunately, my pondering came to an abrupt end as I heard screaming coming from below. I looked up and to my shock – a little boy had fallen to the ground with a fearful look on his face.

Jumping down, I started running towards the boy. "Hey, are you-" a glowing heart coming out of boy's chest cut my question off. Oh, no… I know what's going to happen next.

The heart flew into the dark night while the little boy disappeared into the darkness and a Soldier Heartless appeared in his place. I closed my eyes in memory of a child whom I only knew for about 5 or 10 seconds.

Eventually, more Heartless started showing up and I got into a defensive position. Then I realized something – I had no weapon to defend myself! Oh, shit – I'm fucking dead!

I started looking for a stick or rock in order to stand my ground and fight the Heartless, unfortunately – there was nothing! Now I'm in complete trouble…

The Heartless charged and I immediately dodged out of the way – I have to get out of here on the double. Damn it – the bastards have blocked the doors leading to the First District…

That means I have to go to the Third District and on the double! I took off as the Heartless began give chase in order to take my heart. These little fuckers were popping out from everywhere – walls, ground… it didn't matter where!

"HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!" I yelled, hoping that someone might hear my screams. Please, someone save me…

**(Kairi's location – in front of the doors leading to the Second District…)**

After Kairi was finished eating and drank her beverage, she left the café and began her search for the unknown Keyblade Wielder. Deducing that she wouldn't find anything in the First District, she decided to try her luck with the second.

Before leaving, Kairi was warned by people that the Second District was filled with Heartless of all kinds. However, that didn't bother her – she was armed with the Destiny's Embrace Keyblade and was the seventh Princess of Heart. She could handle a few measly Heartless…

Kairi had just reached the entrance to the Second District when a voice screamed in the air. "HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!" That scream got the red-haired girl's attention as she took her Keyblade and ran into the Second District.

Once she got there, Kairi's face became one of shock - Heartless were everywhere. She got into a defensive position and started attacking the little monsters one by one. Some of them managed to scratch her, but Kairi was quick and dodged most of them.

Eventually, they were all defeated and Kairi gave a sigh. Now, where was the source of the unknown voice…?

"AHHHHH!" The familiar scream got Kairi's attention once again. "It seems that it is coming from the Third District. No time to waste!" The red-haired girl took off towards the Third District.

**(Meanwhile – the Third District…)**

Things were currently not in my favor tonight. The Heartless were everywhere and to make things worst – they had manage to block the entrances leading to the First and Second District. Oh, shit… I am so screwed…

Right now, I'm backed up against a wall with my eyes closed and my body shaking in fear. Is this it? I haven't even began my adventure and already the fucking Heartless are about to kill me…

Mom… Melanie… I'm sorry. But I failed you… yet maybe we will meet in heaven or hell… who knows? These are my last thoughts…

I waited for the pain to come up… But it never did. A-am I dead…? Is this heaven or hell…?

Opening my eyes slowly, I noticed that a figure appeared in front of me. "Get away from her!" The unknown individual ordered.

From what I could tell, the individual's voice was a female one. She was wearing some kind of pink clothing and shoes with her hair being long and red. Funny… she seems familiar to me for some reason along with her voice…

Then, I noticed something that really made me want to squeal like a fangirl – she was wielding a Keyblade! Not just any Keyblade – it was Destiny's Embrace! Wait… that means…

The individual turned to look at me with a smile on her face and I was shocked. It was...

"Stay close to me! I'll protect you." K-kairi! It was freaking Kairi from Kingdom Hearts! Oh, my god! Kairi just gave me an order! This is like a dream come true! I can't believe I've just met my favorite character in the KH series!

Wait a minute! Ugh, Millie – focus! The Heartless, first! Fan-girl squealing, later! I looked at Kairi and nodded.

The red-haired girl turned her attention towards the Heartless with a glare. "Alright, you bastards! Who wants to be the first to die?" She asked, as the Heartless charged forward…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credits:  
> Millis Willis – belongs to me, but the character was created by MafiPaint. Cover Art – created by TheMistressOfDiscord.


	3. Chapter 2: Meeting your Idol!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes:  
> I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor its characters – they belong to Tetsuya Nomura. I only own my OC Millie Willis!

Chapter 2 – Meeting your Idol!

The red-haired girl A.K.A. Kairi – my idol turned her attention towards the Heartless and yelled. "Alright, you bastards! Who wants to be the first to die?" She asked as the Heartless charged forward.

I haven't a clue what was going on anymore. In a couple of seconds, I was about to become Heartless chowder until out of nowhere came out my favorite character in the Kingdom Hearts franchise – Kairi herself! I kid thee not!

She assured me that I was going to be okay so long as I was standing close to her. But that didn't matter right now… MY IDOL HAD GIVEN ME AN ORDER! I WANTED TO SCREAM OUT OF JOY SO BAD!

I was so busy screaming like a fan-girl from the inside of my mind that I didn't even see Kairi holding her own against the Heartless and fighting to protect me along with the rest of the town…

**(Kairi's POV – Fighting the Heartless.)**

I was currently holding my ground against the little bastards that attempted to take the heart of the unknown girl that I was protecting. They charged as I held a tight grip on Destiny's Embrace. Time to show them what this princess is made of!

Two Heartless jumped in front of my face and I immediately slashed them in half – they dissolved into dust. Meanwhile, another had slid into the ground unnoticed and appeared behind me: its target was no doubt the girl that I was protecting.

I was so busy killing the rest of the little creatures that I didn't even pay attention to the unknown girl whom I was supposed to protect. She would have been Heartless chowder if it wasn't for the scream:

"AHHHHHH! GET OFF ME!"

My eyes widened as I turned around as saw that several Heartless were pinning the unknown girl to the ground. Shit! I totally forgot about her! I slashed the remaining Heartless that were about to jump and immediately took off to attack the ones that were punning the unknown girl to the ground.

I could see that she was struggling to get the Heartless off but with little to no avail… I need to hurry.

**(Millie's POV – Being pinned…)**

"Get… off… me…!" I yelled and struggled to get these damn creatures of pure darkness off my entire body but to no avail. They were too strong for me to break from their hold or slid away…

I was in disbelief since there was no way to escape from the hold of the Heartless. No! I couldn't give up… not when I was just starting my adventure! I had to see if Namine's theory about me becoming a hero just like my idol and her friends was true. It… can't… end… like… this!

"Get away from her!" My idol as she swatted them away with her Keyblade and crouched next to my scared and confused face. "You okay?"

After almost getting my heart stolen by those damn pests, I nodded immediately. "Y-yeah…" Kairi smiled at that answer as she grabbed my hand and pulled me up. Unfortunately, we weren't in the safe yet cause more of those blasted Heartless showed up… seriously!? How many of these damn things are crawling around the Realm of Light?

Kairi got in front of me and prepared for another fight. "Stay close to me and make sure no Heartless get behind us, got it?" I nodded immediately as Shadow and Neoshadows were approaching us. Kairi charged forward and sliced one Shadow and Neoshadow in half before continuing onwards with the rest of the Heartless.

I stared in awe as I examined her fighting style and how quickly she moves from Heartless to Heartless… she really is good with a Keyblade! I wonder about the moves though… did she unknowingly inherited those from Aqua whilst touching her Keyblade a decade ago? Or… was it whilst she's still training under Lea or Axel? I might need to do a little bit more research of that and-

I suddenly sensed something behind me. Turning around, I froze like a statue as I came face to face with a Neoshadow who was staring at me and my terrified face like a weirdo. Oh, god… I'm screwed!

Before I could even do anything or call to Kairi for help, I gasped as the Neoshadow raised its claw and ready to stab its claw into my chest in order to steal my heart… I closed my eyes and started to shake in fear.

I wanted to move or yell at Kairi for help, but it was no use Heartless were very fast creatures that acted on instinct. So, I stayed and waited for the inevitable demise… which never came.

At the exact moment when the clawed hand came down, unbeknownst to me, a bright light appeared and blinded the Neoshadow before it disappeared. Was it just me or did one of my hands felt a little bit… heavier?

I opened my eyes slowly as I looked around for any signs of the Neoshadow, but it was gone! Where did it go? I didn't just imagine… it just disappeared and- Huh, my hand still feels heavier. What could be- OH, MY GOD!

I looked down to see what I was holding and immediately gasped in shock… it was a Keyblade! But not just any type of Keyblade… IT WAS FREAKING OATHKEEPER! H-how…?

Oh, wait… I performed a Dive to the Heart in order to unlock my power as a Keyblade Wielder… I couldn't help but give out a small chuckle at how stupid I was for not remembering that I performed a Dive to the Heart earlier. Yet, it was strange on how one of the most powerful weapons in the game was in my hands… I should ask Namine later when I meet her in my heart once again.

**(Kairi's POV – After the Fight.)**

And… I'm done… thank goodness. Damn Heartless are getting stronger it seems… I definitely need to be on the look out in the future for signs of Heartless coming out of the walls or ground. Note to self – focus on your surroundings and never let go of your guard.

With the Heartless gone, I dismissed my Keyblade and sighed in relief… now, what was I supposed to- Oh, right! I need to check on that girl! Hope she isn't in any danger…

Turning around, I sighed once more in relief when I noticed that she was alive and well… that's good. I was about to go and ask if she was okay when my eyes widened in shock at what she was holding: The Oathkeeper Keyblade!

My mind was spinning with a barrage of questions – how did this girl gain access to the Keyblade that was based of my lucky charm and who was she exactly? Wait a minute… she wields a Keyblade… could this be…? I had to see if this was the person that I was looking for!

I ran straight towards the girl whilst shouting. "Hey, you okay?" Unfortunately, it didn't work because she wasn't paying attention to me or anything else right now – instead she was no doubt examining the weapon in her hand.

Upon reaching the mystery girl, I decided to gently touch her right shoulder as to make sure that I don't startle her. The wielder jumped in surprise before turning around with panicked look on her face until she realized that I was standing there with a small smile on my face. Guess she still is on alert due to the Heartless showing up…

"O-oh! A-are the Heartless gone?" The mystery girl asked as I nodded immediately – the questions about Oathkeeper and her wielding it can wait… first things first – I need to make sure that we don't run into anymore Heartless. "For now… You okay?" I asked with my smile still on my lips.

The girl nodded. "Yea… just a little shook up that's all." She explained with me nodding but not looking at the Keyblade since that would arouse a small bit of suspicion in her. "I can tell… you were pretty scared. More than me when the Heartless first invaded my home."

The mystery girl nodded. "Yea… it was a real bummer losing your heart and all that Kairi." Suddenly, her eyes widened as she slammed her hand onto her mouth.

She wasn't the only shocked – I was too… she knew my name! And she also mentioned how I lost my heart for a time! H-how did she know that!?

"H-how do you know my name!? And for that matter how do you know that I lost my heart!? Who are you exactly?" I asked all these questions at once with an angry and suspicious look on my face.

The girl was still holding her hand to her mouth as she immediately took three steps backwards – however, I wasn't about to let her go that easily! I grabbed her other available hand quickly as she tried to get away. As for Oathkeeper, it disappeared almost immediately.

"L-let me go!" She requested but I wasn't going to do until she answered my questions. "Not until you tell me who you are and how you know my name!"

The mystery girl struggled a couple of times, but I was still holding her hands with a tight grip – she wasn't going anywhere at all until she answered my questions! "You have answers to the questions that I have! I won't let go of you until you tell me who you are and how you know who I am and what happened to me!"

She stopped struggling but I still held her hand until she was ready to answer my questions – she obviously knows something about me that I don't…

"Listen, I'm not letting you go until you tell me who you are. If you assume that I'm going to hurt you, don't worry. I won't do anything rash at all… But can you please just-" I immediately stopped speaking as heard some sniffles coming from the girl.

My anger was disappearing at a slow pace as the girl turned around and my eyes widened – she was crying. "P-please… just let go of my hand… yo-you're hurting me… please." She pleaded with me.

I didn't know how to feel at this – did I let my anger get the best of me? Was I really hurting her with how tight I was holding her arm? Crap… I just realized that instead of making sure that she was okay, I grab her hand and immediately started questioning her like a harsh detective… ugh, I'm an idiot.

Releasing her hand, the mystery girl immediately began to massage it… I guess I really did hurt her hand… I shouldn't let my anger get the best of me at times. Maybe I should have a look and see her hand is okay…

"H-hey… is your hand alright?" I asked slowly as the mystery girl continued to massage it with the tears still in her eyes.

She gave a slow nod. "It hurts a little bit…" She answered.

"Can I have a look at it?" I requested but she shook her head. "You'll try and grab it again…"

I felt guilty for hurting her and her hand a few seconds ago. Looking to the ground, I decided to apologize. "I'm sorry… I let my anger get the best of me. Does it really hurt a lot?" I asked.

"A small bit…" She replied as I took a closer look – it did have a bit of red on it. "Hmmm… let me try this." I started to massage it as she cringed in pain…

A few seconds later, her hand was no longer hurting as I wiped the tears away. "Again, sorry for hurting…" I apologized once more.

The mystery girl looked away for a second or two before nodding. "It's fine… you have a very strong grip, btw."

Kairi scratched the back of her head with a sheepish smile on her face. "Y-yeah… my bad. Sorry for making you cry and hurting your hand…"

"I-it's alright… K-kairi." She said my name again… how and where did she learn it from?

I approached her gently, but she looked away and was getting ready to cry again. "H-hey… I won't hurt you." She still didn't look at me – I guess she still is a little bit scared of how I acted a few minutes ago. "I'm really sorry that I scared you and hurt your arm. It's just… you knew my name and how I lost my heart."

The mystery girl nodded at that. "Please… I don't mean you any harm. I just want to ask you some questions. That's all…"

She still didn't give me a response – I guess that's understandable…

I grabbed her hand once more and she flinched but this time I was holding it gently and massaging it. "Tell you what… let's start over and introduce ourselves in a proper fashion this time: My name is Kairi – an ordinary girl that lives on Destiny Island. Who and where are you from?" I asked with a kind smile on my face – my anger was gone… but my questions were still there. However, first things first: introduction.

The mystery girl was quiet for a few seconds before turning to look at me. "M-Millie. Millie Willis." Her name is Millie… alright, we're off to a good start… I think.

"Pleased to meet you Millie." I responded with the smile still on.

"I'm from a home called Earth." Earth? I've never heard of a world like that… where is it exactly?

"It's a home that's very far away…" She responded – a home very far away, huh? Interesting…

"S-so… are you going to hurt my arm again?" She asked but I shook my head and continued to massage it. "No… I'm sorry for yelling and hurting your arm. Listen, if it makes you feel any better, why don't we both take this conversation in a place that's away from preying eyes? I have a hotel room booked for only this day… I know that we've just met… but I have some questions for you… Please. I'm not going to hurt you or anything… Will you give me a chance and come with me?" I asked gently.

Millie stood still like a statue and looked at the ground – I had no idea what she was thinking right now but I hoped it was something good… I prayed that she would accept my request since I had to know if she was the target that I was supposed to be searching for in Traverse Town.

Eventually, she looked at me with sad eyes and nodded. "I'll come… but you won't hurt my arm again, right?" I shook my head.

"Don't worry… I promise that I won't hurt you. I just need some answers." I replied.

"A-alright…" Millie agreed and I smiled gently.

"Let's get a move on then. Oh! Do you want me to let go of your arm?" I asked with a gentle tone, but Millie shook her head. "Can you please keep holding it? If its not too much of a rude request…"

I looked at her and nodded. "Its not rude, don't worry. You ready to move?" She nodded immediately.

"Good." I said and the two of us immediately exited the Third District and entered the Second where the hotel was – hopefully I would be able to get my answers… I just hope that I don't let my anger get the best of me.

I can tell that Millie is a good girl. I just hope she is the one that the King and Master Yen Sid sent me to find…

**(An Unknown Place…)**

"Hello? Mama! Papa! Izzy! Is anyone here?" The voice of Melanie Garcia yelled to no one in particular – where the hell was she exactly!?

The last thing she remembered was the freaking Shadow Heartless from Kingdom Hearts somehow found their way onto her home planet – mainly, her room! She had to watch her parents and little sister get their hearts stole by those damn monsters… she would have suffered the same fate if it wasn't for the Corridor of Darkness that opened in her own living room. Taking the risk, she entered and now here she was – alone, confused and lost in this unknown area where everything was completely in the dark.

"Mom, Dad, Izzy… p-please come back… I'm scared…" Melanie laid down onto the blank black ground as the tears started to fall from her eyes and straight onto her blue t-shirt and down towards the purple skirt. She was truly all alone… without her family… without her little sister… and especially without Millie.

She wondered if her best friend was still alive and well… she hoped that she had made a successful escape from Earth when it was invaded by the damned Heartless… however, she was hopefully that she and Millie would be able to find each other again. She didn't want to be alone…

"I'm scared and lost… I have no idea what to do…" She continued to cry on the ground whilst being unaware of the mysterious figure watching her from inside a corridor of darkness.

"Interesting…" Its voice had a deep sound to it. "A child who has lost her home to the Heartless…" The mystery figure was wearing a cloak with the hood raised in order to cover its face.

"She must be from the same world as that 'Millie' girl… hmmm…" The cloaked figure crossed its arms as it went into deep thinking. "She doesn't seem all that special… can't understand why the Master would-" The cloaked figure stopped as it immediately sensed a strong reading coming from inside the girl – mainly, her heart… it was the calling…

The calling to the darkness. This 'Melanie' girl's heart was hiding a very deep darkness inside of it…

"Hmmm… her hidden darkness in the heart… it's similar to Riku's… I wonder…" The cloaked figure crossed its arms and stood still like a statue as it began to wander what it should do next…


	4. Chapter 3: Interrogation with Style

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes:  
> I welcome you all back to the newest chapter of Destiny's Fate (Millie's Story) – it has been a while since I updated it after all. Two months in fact… my bad about that. Blame my life and my evil relative in the capital… plus, my lack of motivation for writing fanfics.
> 
> So, yeah… good news – I'm finally away from that crazy bat I call "evil grandma" and I can focus on my fanfics. Of course, there's still the matter of my final exam in June but I'll get to studying one of these days. For now, I'm just tempted to write my stuff…
> 
> Enough said, let's get this party started – I don't own Kingdom Hearts or its character. My only property is my OC – Millie Willis.

Chapter 3 – Interrogation with Style.

**(Millie's POV – In a Hotel Room.)**

After the small skirmish with the Heartless and my not-so nice introduction to Kairi… ouch, my art still hurts like a bitch… Anyways, my idol took us both to her hotel room in order to as she puts it: "Ask you some questions and explain the situation." – Feels like an interrogation for some reason.

Its just like that game… what was it called again… Oof, damn it. Forgot its name… Okay, I'm getting a bit off topic here.

Anyways, we had arrived at the hotel where Kairi was staying and she told me that she had to get her hotel key from the receptionist desk. "Give me a couple of minutes, Millie. Should be back soon." I nodded as my idol went to the desk to get her room keys.

Wait… keys… keys… Doesn't Kairi have a Keyblade? Why would she need a key to open her hotel door? Isn't that an easier way to get inside your room than just going to the receptionist desk and getting the key?

Then again, I remembered that wielders were supposed to be discreet and not summon their Keyblades for unlocking something simple as doors. Plus, I'm pretty sure its against the rules as well… I think.

It took maybe four/five minutes for Kairi to get the keys to her room but she was successful. Time to see if I'll get any answers to my questions…

Along the way towards her room, Kairi decided to break the silence with a little question of her own. "So… how are you doing so far, Millie?" She asked me with a hint of awkwardness that I sensed in her voice.

"Okay, I guess? Why do you ask?" Kairi scratched the back of her head – I can tell that she was trying to think of an answer to the awkward question.

"Ummm… just checking to see if you are angry." I was curious on that one – why would I be- Oh! Wait… now I realized what she was talking about.

"I'm not angry about our meeting if that's what you are wondering… but couldn't you have been less feisty with my arm? It still hurts a little bit." I felt the pain from Kairi not letting me go earlier when we met.

The red-head scratched the back of her head in a guilt-like manner. "Sorry about that… didn't mean to be harsh or rude towards you. Its just… you knew my name and I was curious on the matter." Understandable… part of me feels like an idiot for blurting her name out there. Why didn't I just keep quiet…

"How's your arm so far?" She asked me – it still hurt but not that much. "For now, its okay. Hurts a little though… you have a strong grip." Upon hearing that, Kairi giggled innocently. "I know. I often use it whenever Sora or Riku get into trouble back on our island. Don't even ask me about when we were little kids…"

"Let me guess… those two were troublemakers and you had to act like a mother towards them, right?" Kairi looked at me with widened eyes – Oh, crap! Me and my big mouth!

"Y-yeah… how'd you guess?" She asked and I started to think of what I should say in order to remain between the boundaries of safety and non-suspicion. Why did I have to open my mouth…

"Ummm… ummm… Oh! I k-know this because Sora told me." Kairi was surprised upon hearing this from me. I quietly prayed to God that it was enough to convince her that I wasn't being suspicious at all.

"You know Sora?" She asked me and I nodded – Good. She was beginning to get convinced. Now comes the hard parts – my knowledge of his adventures in the games. "Way back during his… grand adventure in search of Organization XIII… he saved me from a Heartless attack on my world. Along with my mother."

"Really?" Kairi stopped walking as she scratched the back of her head. "I don't recall Sora telling me or Riku about you or your world. Then again… he's met many people on different worlds. What's it called by the way?"

"O-oh…! Ummm… it's called… ummm…" I scratched my back head as I tried to think of a false name. I can't say 'Earth' – Kairi might get suspicious or something and then I would be in trouble: big trouble.

Wait… I've got it!

"It's called… Terra Firma." I answered and prayed in my head that she would by the deception. Feeling a little guilty for lying right now though…

"Terra Firma… hmmm…" She crossed her arms and I could tell that she was thinking. "I've never heard of a world like that before. Same could be said with my friends Sora and Riku… they've visited many places in the Realm of Light. But… no mentions of your home world from them. Pretty strange…" Kairi looked at me with a face that screamed: Are you hiding something from me?

I panicked from the inside and wondered what I should say to get out of this mess… Think, Millie, think!

"Ummm… m-maybe… t-they forgot?" I suggested in the stupidest way ever. Why did I even blurt that out?

"Hmmmm… its possible. Yet… its not just Sora. Riku told me that he was on certain worlds whilst in the form of… someone from our past whom we hate. I don't believe he ever mentioned you, your mother or your world… Millie, are you hiding something from me?" I began to really get nervous on the inside – seriously was this an interrogation or something?

"Kairi… I'm not hiding anything from you. I'm just laying out some possibilities – one of which Sora or Riku did indeed meet me but forgot about it. Don't treat me like I'm some kind of common criminal…" I defensively stated and held my ground in the hopes that she would stop asking me questions.

Kairi looked at me with a suspicious glare on her face which then softened up… No doubt she was having conflicts inside her about what to do. Eventually, she gave up and sighed heavily. "Alright, Millie… I'm sorry about acting like a detective towards you. It's just… I don't have any idea who you are, where you come from and if what you claim is true about meeting Sora or Riku."

I just gave her a shrug in response to that sentence. "I guess you're just gonna have to trust me. Don't know what to tell you right now." Kairi crossed her arms. "Millie, I hate to break it to you… but I've just met you and don't know the first things about you. If you want me to trust you, we're gonna have a little chat first – see if your story is straight."

I deadpanned at that – seriously!? An interrogation… jeez, who knew my idol can be such a tight-ass? No offense to my love for her in the games though.

I decided to humor her with agreeing – should be easy to answer her questions… so long as I didn't say anything stupid. "Fine, I'll answer your questions – if that's what it will get you to trust me."

Kairi seemed satisfied at that. "Don't worry. They aren't anything serious – just to see if your story seems straight." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes but nodded nevertheless – let's get this over with.

We began walking once again and eventually reached the hotel room – hmmm… If I'm not mistaken this must be the Green Room where Sora was staying during his first time in Traverse Town. So long ago…

Kairi slid the key and unlocked the door. Both of us stepped inside as I took a quick look around: I saw the bed, the table with the two chairs and the door leading to the Red Room. Feels weird to be in here for some reason though…

"Well… here we are. My temporary room… it's not much but a person takes what he/she can get." I couldn't help but agree with her – a place to rest and relax was still a home even if it wasn't completely your own. Anyways… let's get this over with.

"So, how will this questioning go exactly?" I asked as Kairi looked at me with a gentle smile. "It won't be anything extreme, I assure you. Just some questions in order to see if your story is straight. Look, I'm not someone whom you can consider your enemy… but I have to check the facts in your story."

I sighed and gave her a nod. "Alright… let's get this over with." I sat on the bed whilst she took a chair and pulled out a notebook with a pencil. OMG… she's going all 'L.A. Noire' on me, isn't she?

"First question – your name is indeed Millie Willis, correct?" She asked me and I nodded. She scribbled something on her notebook – my name, no doubt.

"Second question – what is your world like exactly? Anything good/bad to share?" A good question to which I needed to be careful on when answering – Earth has a lot of problems, to be honest… mainly the pollutions, constant wars, crime, forest fires, etc. Granted, my planet wasn't exactly a popular place to visit… but I couldn't complain: home is still home.

Now, let's see if my skills in improvisation with words work. "Well… Terra Firma has a bit of problems here and there." Kairi scribbled the info as I continued to speak. "There's a little bit of crimes and pollution but its only a small amount. Nothing serious that's for sure."

"Small amount of crime, huh? Do you or your family get affected by them?" Kairi asked but I shook my head. "Not to my knowledge… cause we live in a neighborhood that's very quiet and peaceful."

"And the pollution?" She asked and I responded immediately. "Nothing serious like that as well. Granted, there's a small amount of trash on the streets… but we alongside our neighbors clear it up and put it in recycling bins."

"I see…" Kairi scribbled the info collected from me onto her notebook and then continued. "Next question – you mentioned that you had a 'mother', correct?"

"That's right – her name is Ayumi Willis. Before you ask, no… My father isn't around. My mom divorced him when I was ten because of the bad things he did… granted, he wasn't abusive. But he cheated on Mom and he used to drink a lot." I explained as Kairi scribbled down the info. "Do you miss sometimes?"

I gave her a shrug. "To be honest… I have no idea. I was too young to understand the things he did… although, I do remember Mom and him arguing a lot. I guess… maybe. I just don't know…"

Kairi nodded and continued to scribble the info down. "What does your mom do for a living?"

"She's the CEO of a big corporation – we live in a neighborhood, yes… but her workplace is in the city. Just in case you were wondering." I told her and she nodded once more.

"Big corporation?" I nodded at her question. "All she told me was that it involves making… art or something related to it, I think? Can't really remember."

"Very well… next question – school and friends. What can you tell about that?" She awaited eagerly to scribble the info down – who knew that she would make a good detective?

Anyways, let's answer the question. "I'm mostly studying to be a writer when I grow up. I love writing ideas that pop into my head (mainly about adventure, romance, thriller, etc.) – right now though… I guess I don't have to worry about school." I scratched the back of my head with a sad chuckle coming out of my mouth.

"Don't give up hope… if we are able to do things right, you might go back and become a writer once again." Kairi said in an attempt to cheer me as I was just reminded of when my world fell into darkness due to the Heartless attacking… I still didn't have a clue who was responsible for the attack.

"I hope so, Kairi… I hope so. Anyways, back to what I was saying – I don't have a lot of friends these days except for my best friend Melanie Garcia. Unlike me, she's studying to be a veterinarian – loves taking care of animals."

Kairi couldn't help but smile gently at that. "Sounds like she's picked a wise profession when she grows up." I nodded at that. "Yeah… though with my world gone…"

"Don't lose hope… we'll find your mother and friend. Then we'll see what we can do about restoring your world." I smiled at her statement – hopefully we will be able to find out more on how to restore my planet again.

"I sure hope so, Kai… Anyways, is the questioning done? Anything else I need to answer?" I asked as Kairi took a look at her notebook once more. "Hmmm… just one more thing: can you recount the events that led to your world being destroyed?"

"Hmmm…" I didn't know if I should answer that question truthfully – no doubt by telling her about Namine and the Dive to the Heart will get me in trouble. Kairi will suspect something about my story and I'll be forced to reveal the truth to her…

Praying quietly to myself that my cover story will be enough to convince her, I began to retell my tale of how I ended up Traverse Town. "It all began once I got home from school. Mom still wasn't back from work so I decided to pass the time with studying and drawing stuff… for my novel, of course. Time has passed by and didn't even notice… I was still drawing when Mom came back home to make dinner plus warning me about an incoming storm as well. Anyways, I was just finishing up when a power outrage happened… Mom told me to go and check up on the fuse box whilst she waited to see if the power would come back on. When I went down into the basement to check… I found out that one of the wires were chewed or cut off. It was then that Mom screamed and I ran back upstairs only to see her heart getting taken by the Heartless…" I paused as I could feel tears coming through my eyes but Kairi sat next to me and held my arm gently. "It's okay… It's okay…" She wiped my tears away before I continued to speak:

"After Mom had disappeared, the Heartless turned their attentions towards me… I would have been the next meal but fate was on my side. An unknown dark portal opened and a mysterious voice ushered me to step inside… seeing as there was no other way to escape the Heartless, I did exactly just that and jumped inside. Next thing, I knew – I had awoken in Traverse Town before you found me. And… that's about it."

Kairi nodded at that info as she scribbled the last bit of info on her notebook. "It must have been very hard for you to see your mom having her heart taken and then your home being destroyed…" She paused a bit before sighing. "I'm really sorry, Millie…"

She placed her hand on my shoulder and I smiled at her. "Kairi. Be honest with me… do you really think there is a way to restore my world?"

She nodded but very slowly. "There is… but first – the results of this interview of ours." She got up and sat down in the chair to review that things I told her about – hopefully it was enough to convince her. God, please help me… please.

"Hmmm… yes… hmmm…" Kairi was examining her notebook and the info on it – was she convinced that I wasn't a threat or did she figure out my deception? I couldn't tell.

Looking away from the notebook, she stared at my face. "Well… after carefully reviewing the information… I don't really see anything that would label you as a threat. However… I'm still not sure if Sora or Riku even mentioned you or your world."

Guess she's still in conflict about that… can't really blame her to be honest.

"Again, they might have forgotten… its been a long time since they finished up their last journey after all." I told her as she sighed heavily. "Maybe… I don't know. Guess it's the stress about the task I was given…"

"Task?" I was curious about that.

"Yeah… you see, I was recently sent by my mentors in the search for an individual that wields a certain power that can be used to stop the Heartless. When you told me about your situation… your world falling to the darkness and Heartless showing up… I'm starting to think it's not a coincidence."

Whoa… whoa… whoa… is… is Kairi saying what I think she's saying!? Are Namine's words proving true?

"I don't know if it's a coincidence or not… but to tell you the truth, there aren't many that wield the power like myself, my mentor or my two best friends. Millie… I don't think its destiny or fate that we met in Traverse Town."

She sighed before revealing something that surprised me a lot:

"Millie… I think you are my target. I think you are the one who has the power to wield a Keyblade."

My mind just went blank and I couldn't help but scream:

"WHAT!?"

Looks Namine's words were proven true… I'm going to be a part of the Kingdom Hearts genre as a Keyblade Wielder.


	5. Chapter 4: Plotting and Planning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts nor its characters – they belong to Tetsuya Nomura. I only own my OC Millie Willis!

Chapter 4 – Plotting and Planning.

**(The Castle that Never Was – Far away from Traverse Town.)**

Walking alone… it was something that Xigbar mostly did during his off-days in his old life and in the Organization. It gave him an opportunity to clear his thoughts and mind… mainly to plot and whatnot. As was his secretive nature…

He was easily recognizable – wearing the standard Organization outfit (black cloak, boots and gloves) along with his golden eyes, pointed ears and upturned eyebrows while his long dark hair with several grey streaks was tied into a long ponytail. But the most interesting feature of them all was the scars on his face along with an eye-patch to cover his right eye. He had received those injuries nearly a decade ago when he faced off against one of the Keyblade brats during his time as the royal guard Braig.

 _‘Good times…’_ he thought to himself. Under normal circumstances, he would relax and reminiscent all of those sweet times when he had to manipulate and guide three certain kids to their doom… but not today.

Today was particularly an interesting one for Xigbar… mainly the events of this week and especially the arrival of a new Keyblade-wielding kid from an unknown world called Earth.

According to the Heartless and Dusks… her name was apparently Millicent Willis or Millie for short. An ordinary kid living a normal life up until the Heartless came and ruined her peace… Xigbar tried to hold back a grin but it wasn’t working. He knew which Heartless destroyed her world and he considered it an entertainment when they reported that the job was done.

It was indeed the Organization that sent the Heartless to destroy Earth and devour its heart – all for the sake in preparation for their ultimate goal. Yet, they didn’t expect that two ordinary kids would survive and find themselves in this dimension… but only one knew.

It was Xigbar… he secretly commanded the Heartless to spare the lives of the two girls since he had plans in store for both of them. No doubt that Millie is with the 7-th Princess of Heart Kairi already while the other girl ‘Melanie’ was on her way to the castle via Ansem or Saïx. He really didn’t know or care… just as long as they were alive and well for now.

He had big plans for them both… if they succeed it would bring him another step closer towards accomplishing his goal… and allow the return of the one person he was very loyal to. A man from his distant past…

“Xigbar.” A familiar voice interrupted the thoughts of the Organization’s Number II. Turning around, he came face to face with a man who stepped out of the dark corridor-like portal.

A young man with slightly-tanned skin, yellow eyes and silver hair which was slightly spiked and fell past his shoulders in the back with four bangs framing his face, the back two thicker than the front two, and the two backwards spikes on the sides were absent with the topmost one slicked back. Just like Xigbar, he wore the standard Organization cloak. It was no other than the younger version of his ally in the upcoming Keyblade War – Xehanort.

“Xehanort… things progressing well so far?” The eye-patched man inquired as young Xehanort nodded.

“For now… although, I’m still reluctant on following on this – mainly the assault on that new world we recently discover and the survivability of the two girls – Millicent and Melanie.” Xehanort told him with uncertainty in his voice to which Xigbar chuckled.

“Something funny?” Xehanort asked.

Xigbar grinned. “In a sense… trust me on this – those two girls are pretty important for the upcoming war… we could always use another vessel for the seekers in case one doesn’t fit the bill, correct?” He asked even though he knew what Xehanort’s answer would already be.

“In a sense… I suppose. Speaking of which, I’d like to inform you that the first girl ‘Millie’ is with Kairi already… as for Melanie, she’s currently in the infirmary and resting.” Xehanort informed.

“So far, so good… trust me on this. In the end, the reward will be worth it. Speaking of which, were our suspicious confirmed? Is that ‘Millie’ kid a Keybearer?” Xigbar asked.

Xehanort nodded. “Correct… apparently, she has gained access to the Oathkeeper Keyblade. If I’m not mistaken… is one of the Keyblades that Sora had access to.”

“Yep… right on the money. Question is – how did that particular kind of Keyblade fell into that brat’s hands? Don’t new Keyblade brats originally receive their own by the forging of their hearts?” Xigbar asked.

“You would be right about that… however, in some cases… it’s possible for another wielder to gain a complete copy of certain Keyblade. But unfortunately, I know not of how it works… Xigbar, I have a feeling that this girl isn’t just an ordinary wielder. There’s somekind of-”

Xigbar interrupted and finished Xehanort’s words. “-Mystic aura and mystery surrounding her? I noticed it as well…”

A moment of silence overcame both individuals before the younger version of Xehanort spoke once again. “I still have a hard time believing that these two girls would be of any benefit to the Organization… yet if you were in my shoes, what would the outcome be exactly?”

“Why the sudden switch of roles?” Xigbar asked.

“Taking precautions… years of planning and so close to the ultimate goal – I can’t afford for this plan to fail. My future self and I have waited and sacrificed so much for Kingdom Hearts to be summoned. And then… it begins.” Xehanort commented as Xigbar nodded.

Deep down, the second-in-command knew what Xehanort’s plan was. To summon Kingdom Hearts and enact his true plan – to purge the entire Realm of Light of its darkness so he could reset it and create a balanced and pure universe. That was what the Dark Keyblade Master planned and he was going to put it to effect… nobody would stop him from accomplishing his goals.

“Right… so, what sort of precaution are we talking about?” Xigbar asked.

“Well… at first – ‘Millie’ doesn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary… If my suspicious are correct, Kairi will take the girl to Yen Sid where she will begin her training as a wielder. That might seem like nothing out of the ordinary since we could easily take her and the Guardians down. Yet… I can’t help but wonder – would she grow strong in the course of time or remain an ordinary neutral teen with no natural abilities whatsoever… Either way, we must be aware and keep an eye on the girl with Oathkeeper.” Xehanort explained.

“Shouldn’t be too hard… plus, if things go south – we can just use that ‘Melanie’ brat and send her against ‘Millie’. And even if that fails… I’ve got another idea of taking care of things.” Xigbar just grinned after finishing speaking.

“Oh? And what is that?” The grin on Xigbar’s face didn’t fade as spoke once again. “During this past decade, I’ve been travelling quite a lot – in between or during missions – Met a couple of interesting people. Mercenaries in particular…”

“Mercenaries?” Xehanort asked with a suspicious look on his face.

“Yep. Don’t worry though – ain’t focused on the Organization and that… right now, they have something else on their mind – apparently, some kid is causing trouble for them… didn’t get all of the info unfortunately.” Xigbar explained.

“I see… so, where exactly are-.” Xehanort stopped himself as he realized what Xigbar was referring to. “Ah, I see… so, these mercenaries… you wish to employ them to work for us?”

“In a sense, yes… however, they won’t interfere with the Organization or its plan. Trust me on this, Xehanort.”

“Not that I don’t trust you… but I have to ask – are you sure that they can be reliable? What if they try and attack if the money isn’t good?” Xehanort asked with the suspicious look on his face – he didn’t know if this idea was good or not.

“They won’t attack… I’ll give something else – an offer that they can’t refuse. Trust me on this…”

Xehanort eyed Xigbar very closely – what exactly was the second-in-command up to…? From the sounds of his voice, it seemed like he had some sort of agenda that was kept from him and the rest of the members of the Organization. Should he trust him like the future Xehanort trusted him or should he call him out on it? He didn’t have enough evidence to back his claims about… so calling him out wasn’t going to work.

For now, Xehanort had to trust Xigbar… but a closer eye would be kept just in case he tried anything against the Organization or their goal.

“Very well… I’ll trust you on this. You had better not make me regret it… also, if you try anything that is considered betrayal… you will not like the results. Understood?” Xehanort warned with a serious look.

Xigbar grinned. “Loud and clear, Boss. You won’t regret this… trust me.” He told him as Xehanort’s eyebrows rose up.

“I certainly hope so. When will you make contact with your ‘mercenary’ friends?”

“In a couple of days… I need to see if they are in exact location that I met them last time.” Xigbar explained as Xehanort nodded.

“Very well… but only hire them if the situation gets desperate. Understood?” Xigbar rolled his eyes in response to that sentence.

“Yes, yes… I get it. Yeesh, you’re just like my mother, you know that?”

“Hmph… enough about the ‘Millie’ girl… what say we go and check up on our patient? See if she can be of use to the Organization…”

“Read my mind! By now, she’s gotta be up and about… allow me to do the honors.” Xigbar finished speaking before snapping his fingers as the dark corridor-like portal opened.

“Shall we?” Xigbar offered Xehanort to step through the portal first.

“Indeed. Let us go and check up on our little patient…” Xehanort agreed as the two stepped in through the portal to check on Melanie.

**(Meanwhile – another part of the Castle…)**

“If I may say, Xemnas… I have a bad feeling about this plan of ours.”

“The feeling is mutual… but we cannot do anything about it.”

Inside the main meeting room of the Organization called Where Nothing Gathers – atop the high thrones sat two people that were discussing some things – Xemnas and his fellow partner-in-crime Saïx.

Both wore the standard black coat of the Organization yet their appearances were different:

Xemnas had orange eyes and mildly tanned skin while his hair was long and reaching about mid-back along with a layered and messy look with a spike atop the head – it was completely silver in color.

Saïx on the other hand had long blue hair that was a bit wider at the top though some of it fell at the back. His eyes were completely amber while his pierced ears were pointed up. The most noticeable feature however was the X-shaped scar on his forehead.

“Sir… once again, I’m not really sure what we are hoping to gain from such assistance from these two girls. What exactly is Xigbar thinking?” Saïx asked – his voice was filled with curiosity.

“Saïx… I understand your concerns… but let it go. If Xigbar believes that these two newcomers are important to accomplishing our goals than we have no choice but to trust his judgement. But that doesn’t imply that I don’t like it… in fact, I’m on the same page as you, my comrade.” Xemnas explained.

“Then… what do you purpose?” Saïx asked.

Xemnas went silent for a moment to decide as Saïx waited and pondered what his Superior in the old Organization would blurt out very soon. He was very familiar with how this went after all.

For the past decade or so, Saïx arose from an ordinary member of the Organization to its second-in-command with help from his old friend and companion Axel… yet, that was all in the past. Now, in the present, Saïx had a new purpose – assisting the Seekers of Darkness so that they could summon Kingdom Hearts and accomplish their ultimate goal.

But not him… Saïx had another plan in mind – one that not even Xemnas, Xehanort or Xigbar. He was only in the Seekers so he could atone for what he did… so, he could reaffirm his old friends… so, he could find her. Whatever it took…

Eventually, Xemnas spoke – his words being completely calm and serious:

“We shall wait… see what develops. If Xigbar is speaking the truth and these two girls are indeed important for Kingdom Hearts to be summoned, then we will see if he is indeed correct.” Xemnas explained as Saïx nodded.

“Very well… and should it turn out that he is wrong…?” Saïx asked.

“Then we will go through with the punishment… completely extermination.” Xemnas said as Saïx grinned – if there was one thing that the blue-haired man enjoyed more than giving out orders is dealing and ensuring that the punishment was indeed a non-pleasant one.

“Yes, sir… all of us will be certain to keep an eye out in case Xigbar tries something like treason or conspiring against us.” Saïx assured him as Xemnas nodded.

“Good… onto more pressing matters – Vexen has been recruited yet again, correct?” In response to that question, Saïx immediately gave a nod.

“Correct… we can make use of his knowledge in gaining more replicas as vessels. As we speak, we’ve managed to bring in Riku when he was taken over by Ansem as a seeker along with the hooded puppet Xion… as reserve members, of course.” Saïx explained.

“Very good… those two will prove useful in case we retry out plan to turn Sora or Riku into vessels once again.”

“And should that fail and the reserve members aren’t enough… we can always use another subject to turn into a seeker.”

“Indeed… only if it the first reserves prove useless. Speaking of which, any luck on finding the location of the young woman called Aqua?” Xemnas inquired since he was curious on her location.

“No doubt in the Realm of Darkness… yet she moves around a lot. It will be a while before we can track her down. However, she will be found… you have my word. Speaking of which, about that girl ‘Millie’…” Saïx began but wondered if he should bring the topic once more since he and Xemnas were done discussing it.

“Yes… something on your mind?” Xemnas asked.

“Well… something else about her – according to Master Xehanort, she has gained access to one of the Keyblades that Sora originally wielded – mainly, the Oathkeeper one.” Saïx explained as Xemnas’s eyebrows arose in surprise and curiosity.

“A complete copy of a Keyblade that belongs to the Chosen Hero? Interesting… I had no idea that a copy could also be wielded by a single child.” Xemnas replied as Saïx nodded.

“I… too don’t have a clue on why a copy of the Keyblade has ended in the hand of the girl… Perhaps there is more to this ‘Millie’ than meets the eye.” Saïx noted as did Xemnas.

“Perhaps. Maybe Xigbar had a point all along… though we are still keeping an eye on his movements. In any event, perhaps this ‘Millie’ and ‘Melanie’ will indeed be useful for our plans.” Xemnas said as Saïx raised his eyebrows in confusion.

“Do you have some kind of plan, Xemnas?” Saïx asked but Xemnas stood still for a few moments.

Eventually, he spoke with a sinister smile on his face. “Not at the moment… but in the mere future – we’ll be sure to put their skills into effect for our goal. But one thing is sure… no matter how or if we use these girls or not, Kingdom Hearts will be summoned and our goal will be accomplished!”

_‘No matter how or who opposes us, we will accomplish our goal… and who knows, maybe this ‘Millie’ will prove useful to us after all… I look forward to seeing what you can do… Millicent Willis!’_

**(Traverse Town – Millie’s POV)**

My eyes snapped opened as I stood up and looked around – sweat covered my entire face completely. Looking around frantically, I immediately calmed down as I realized that I was in the hotel room that Kairi and I shared. Both of us were sleeping since we agreed that we would head the next day for the Mysterious Tower to see Master Yen Sid and discuss what to do next.

Wiping the sweat off my face, I laid back onto the bed and took a deep breath before closing my eyes. What the hell made me wake up like that…?

I swear that I might be going crazy but I couldn’t help but think that someone where far away the words of someone planning to use me as his/her puppet scared me… don’t know if it was true or not. Probably just a nightmare I’m having.

But just as I was about to go back into sleep mode, I immediately heard snoring in the room – my idol was snoring… goddamn it.

It was going to be a long while before I could get some ordinary sleep… man, oh man – what a day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: So… hey there, fellow readers. Been a while… mainly two months since I last update any story… and honestly – I don’t know what to say… I haven’t got an explanation but an honest truth why I haven’t updated.
> 
> I’ll just say – I lost my mojo and didn’t even want to write cause of reasons unknown. I have no idea why I didn’t want to write or update chapters… I don’t know what to tell you all. I tried getting back to writing yet nothing… 
> 
> But hopefully (God, I hope…) I’ll update more and more as the days pass. To make it up to you all for waiting so long, I’m gonna start updating another story that has sat for too long – maybe Chains of Destiny or Twilight Town’s Wielder. We’ll see.
> 
> I promise to update more in the future! Don’t know how or why I lost my mojo for writing but I promise to not let it happen again if I can…  
> That’s all I have to say for now… see you all next time! Laterz!


	6. Chapter 5: Adieu, Traverse Town and Hello Mysterious Tower!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts nor its characters – they belong to Tetsuya Nomura. I only own my OC Millie Willis!

Chapter 5 – Adieu, Traverse Town and Hello Mysterious Tower!

**(Traverse Town – Millie’s POV)**

_*Pat-pat-pat*_

Ugh… no… I don’t wanna get up now, Mom… couple more minutes…

‘Millie, come on. Wake up and smell the coffee.’

_*Pat-pat-pat*_

“Leave me alone, Mom… don’t wanna get up.

‘Aww, that’s cute… but I’m not your Mom, Millie. Now come on – time to get up.”

No… I don’t wanna…

‘Whelp, didn’t want to have to do this but you leave me no choice… for your own good, Millicent.’

Y-yeah… that’s great, Mom… now please leave to get some more-

HA-HA-HA-HA! STO- HA-HA-HA-HA! KNOCK IT- HA-HA-HA!

HA-HA-HA… ha-ha- Huh… why am I not feeling ticklish anymore? Opening my eyes and looking forward, I came face to face with the culprit responsible for waking me up – Kairi. A grin was plastered on her face.

“Kairi! What the hell was that for!?” I demanded the answer yet all she did was cross arms while continuing to grin.

“Your own fault, Millie. It’s time to get up and smell the coffee as they say.” She answered but I just frowned and rolled my eyes.

Releasing a medium-length yawn, I blocked it before turning my attention towards the alarm clock that was sitting motionlessly atop the bedroom drawer. The time was shown to be 8:34 in the early morning which was a good thing since I don’t oversleep.

“Why’d you tickle my feet, by the way?” I asked since I needed to know why she resorted to that dirty trick in order to wake me up.

Kairi just shrugged. “It was the only way to do it properly since you were snoozing like a log. Also, you drool?” She asked as I became surprised by what she just said.

“W-what? N-no… I outgrew it when I entered my teen years. Why do you ask?” In response to my question, she just rubbed the back of her head and her face morphed into an uneasy one.

“Well… you were kind of drooling when I woke up earlier this morning and there was a lot of saliva on your pillow and sheets. Was it a bad nightmare or something?” Kairi inquired but I just shook my head.

“Nah… huh, weird. I don’t normally drool – well, these days anyways and especially since I entered into teenhood. Must have been more tired than usual…” I explained as Kairi nodded in understanding.

“If you say so… anyways, I’d figured that maybe a nice warm shower and hot breakfast is in order before we head on to visit Master Yen Sid.” At those words, I couldn’t help but grin.

“I’m down for that… first though, I’m taking a hot shower since I’m picking some scent from my saliva. How about you?” I asked as Kairi placed a finger on her chin to think.

Seconds later, she answered. “I’m taking one after you as well… I smell a little bit as well. Breakfast can wait for us and I definitely would appreciate some company when eating.”

“Kay, seems legit. Also, do you mind if…?” I was hoping that Kairi would get the message about me taking off my pajamas and going to the shower.

“O-oh! Yeah, sure… do you want me to leave the room or turn around?” She inquired but I just shrugged and answered. “Whatever you decide best.”

“Oh. Well… I’ll just turn around.” After saying those words, Kairi turned her gaze the other way which gave me the opportunity to take off my pajamas and equip a bathrobe on and some slippers.

Just then, my nose picks up the saliva smell… from both my body and hair. Yew, that stinks… I better head on and shower.

“Be back in a few minutes.” I told Kairi before entering the bathroom and locking it so as to not be disturbed.

**(Kairi’s POV)**

After Millie entered the bathroom, I sat on the bed and waited patiently until my ‘friend’ came back. Though I dunno if I should call her a ‘friend’ yet since I’m not really sure about her character yet.

I mean… she doesn’t seem like a bad person but I know that some looks can be deceiving. I wonder if she’s secretly a Xehanort clone yet assumed a false normal appearance in order to spy on us for the Organization. Wait, did I just seriously think that? Wow, that’s a low blow, Kairi.

Okay, so she doesn’t seem like a Xehanort clone or a member of the Organization. However, I’m still not sure if I should trust her or not – we’ve only met last night after all. She doesn’t seem like a bad person yet I wonder... Maybe I should ask Master Yen Sid when we reach the tower though I shouldn’t share anything with Millie. Again, she doesn’t seem like a bad character yet I have to ask in order to see what I’m dealing with.

Come to think of it, I wonder why the King and the Master chose me for this task. Not that I would refuse or anything since I wanted to prove myself as a wielder and Princess-of-Heart. Yet why me? Another question to ask Master Yen Sid when we return to the tower.

One thing can be said about this task: I’m glad that I’m going to be helping out another girl like me since I’m not that good at handling boys. When you live on an island with two best friends that are boys and have trouble in searching for a female one (minus Selphie, of course), you tend to wonder if you can handle it properly.

Not that I don’t have anything against boys, mind you. Speaking of that, I wonder how Sora and Riku are doing so far… I miss them so much that I wonder if the three of us will be playing and teasing one another again in the near future. Maybe I’ll catch up with them one of these days and ask how their training is progressing. Despite them being away and practicing with their Keyblades, we’re still the best of friends and nothing will change that.

Two minutes later, the door to the bathroom was unlocked as Millie stepped out with a fresh look, her bathrobe covering her body and a towel wrapped around her hair.

“Phew… that was refreshing.” She commented while I just smiled a bit and replied. “I can tell… I’m picking up the fresh aroma of lilac shampoo from your covered wet-hair.”

Definitely still picking up the scent from the shampoo and soap that she used – Millie just shrugged. “It was the only shampoo available. As for soap, I think it’s honey-and-milk. Can’t really tell.” She answered.

“Sounds like paradise. Anyways, I won’t be too long Millie. You can get yourself dressed in the meantime and dry your hair while I shower. Once I’m done, we’ll go and have something to eat before we depart for Master Yen Sid’s home.” I told her as she nodded and turned around to give me some space for removing my pajamas.

Seconds later, I stepped inside the bathrobe with a robe and slippers on before I locked the door to get some privacy and clean myself up…

**(A while later – Normal POV)**

“Hmmm… some muffins and bacon. What do you think, Kairi?”

“Eggs and waffles. Should I get some butter or honey?”

“Yeah. I’m down with that – a mix of salt and sweetness. Juice for your thoughts?”

“Orange or peach. You?”

“Cherry or apple.”

“Good tastes.”

“Thanks, now let’s get ourselves to a table and eat. I’m starving quite a lot.”

Once they grabbed their trays and placed all malnourishments, Millie and Kairi were searching for an unoccupied table to enjoy their breakfast. Both were refreshed from their shower and ready to chow on the food they picked.

They soon found one, occupied it before anyone else could and began to eat their warm breakfast slowly since they had all the time in the world.

Kairi was eating some toast covered with butter while Millie was chewing down on some bacon and eggs. “Yummy… this is very well prepared. Reminds me of my mother’s cooking.” The girl with short hair answered.

“Your mother cooks just like the chefs here?” Kairi inquired while eating her toast and seeing Millie nodding.

“Yep. I honestly prefer my mother’s dishes over school lunch… trust me, you don’t want any of that in your stomach or mouth.” Millie warned her as Kairi’s lips morphed into a frown.

“That bad, huh?” She asked with Millie nodding and continuing to eat a piece of the muffin that she took from the refreshments table.

“I hear you. I’m not too fond on school food as well… that’s why I always cook my dishes at home.” Kairi explained as Millie became surprised.

“Oh? You can cook?” The short-haired girl inquired as Kairi gave a proud nod. “Yep! Mom taught me during my little stay on the islands while Sora and Riku were away on their adventure… it was hard at first, made a couple of mistakes here-there, but I managed to improve. Made some very good dishes… and I still keep practicing whenever I’m free.” She replied and then continued to eat some scrambled eggs.

“Cool. I’d definitely love to try out some of your dishes if you have the time to make one, of course.” Millie told her as Kairi was surprised by her words – a small hint of a blush appeared on her cheeks.

“O-oh, thanks. I’m not a five-star cook though so it won’t be my best. But I’ll give it my best to make you a mouth-watering dish.” Kairi assured her.

Millie grinned while taking another bite from her muffin and chewing it to small pieces before gulping them down her throat to the stomach. “Say, what exactly is the plan when we get to the Mysterious Tower?” She inquired to Kairi who was swallowing down her own food.

Kairi placed a finger on her chin and was quiet for a minute until she answered. “Basically, I bring you over to Master Yen Sid and explain the situation to him. From there we’ll see what happens – either the beginning of your training or await to see what my teachers have prepared. Don’t worry it won’t be anything extreme.” The red-head assured her with a smile as Millie nodded albeit with an uneasy look.

Kairi noticed it and placed a hand on Millie’s shoulder. “Relax. It won’t be unpleasant… just a formality and seeing what will happen.” She reassured her.

“I sure hope so… I mean I’m a failure when it comes to tests and passing them. School is a pain-in-the-butt.” The short-haired girl admitted.

“Somewhat… say, what’s your favorite subjects?” Kairi inquired with Millie immediately answering them. “Literature and arts… I’m studying to be a full-time novelist when I grow up along with designing my very own characters and artwork.”

“Nice! Do you write or draw whenever you have free time outside of school and exams?” Kairi inquired yet again with Millie nodding.

“What about you?” Millie asked while Kairi took a bite from nearly-finished toast before responding to the question. “Oh, that’s tough to answer… before I began my training as a wielder, there were a variety of subjects I wanted to choose from – sports, biology, arts… It was hard for me. Though with the way things are right now, it will be a long time until I can get back home and finish my education.”

“A sad but honest fact. Say, how’s your training coming along so far?” Millie inquired just as the red-head swallowed the chewed pieces of toast down her throat and straight for the stomach. “Slow, I’m afraid. Not really advanced like the boys have but I’m working to get there. Hopefully when we get to the tower, we’ll be assigned to train together alongside Lea or… Axel.” Kairi spoke his name with a hint of uneasiness in her tone.

Millie must have guested that she hasn’t forgiven him yet for his actions during the events of the second Kingdom Hearts game. With good reason since he was planning to use her as a bargaining chip in order to bring back Roxas via turning Sora into a Heartless.

But that was all in the past since now they were united towards a common goal – defeating Xehanort and stopping the real Organization XIII from obtaining the power of Kingdom Hearts. No time to feel weak or remorseful for your actions.

Millie was definitely hoping that she would be placed alongside Kairi and Lea to train in the art of the Keyblade. Or maybe Yen Sid had something much more complicated planned for the short-haired girl? Soon, the answers would be revealed and there would be no room for anymore doubt.

Both girls were continuing to eat their breakfast quietly since they didn’t have any questions for one another. The sooner that they finished, the better that Millie and Kairi would be on their way to Yen Sid’s home.

What they failed to notice however was a sinister-looking raven observing them in the open window in the celling – mainly Millie. A dark grin was displaced on its beak due to obtaining all info that was needed. Flapping its wings, it flew away into the sky towards an unknown location – mainly to its owner.

The raven had so much to explain to his mistress – no time to waste or gawk. She needed to know about this development. About the new wielder that was accompanying Kairi. About this ‘Millie Willis’.

**(The Enchanted Dominion – Normal POV)**

Inside the world known as Enchanted Dominion, atop the Forbidden Mountain stood a castle that has seen better days – what many didn’t know was that this was the home of a mysterious and evil witch who has attempted not once, but a couple of times to take control of the mysterious entity known as Kingdom Hearts.

Said witch was currently pacing back and forth inside the throne room as if waiting for someone or something to come. She was a green and fair-skinned woman with shining yellow eyes that were heavily shadowed with violet make-up whilst her lips were painted red. Her head was topped with a black-horned headdress with her attire consisting of a long, tattered black robe with a purple trim and maroon edges which flared out. Her only weapon was a powerful staff with a glowing green orb at the top. This witch was called Maleficent or the self-proclaimed “Mistress of All Evil” as a couple of people had called her.

The witch was currently in her throne room and awaiting the return of precious pet Diablo who had been sent on a reconnaissance mission to Traverse Town for one particular reason – a unknown source of power that had been detected recently thanks to her staff glowing since yesterday.

These past few months she had been at work thinking of ways to thwart both the Guardians of Light and Xehanort who had become a deep thorn in her backside yet all plans that she made hit a snag. One thing that didn’t help her at all was the fact that Pete was being a bumbling oaf and reminding her of the previous failures that she had endured due to the involvement of Sora and his pesky friends.

Maleficent deeply wondered to herself why on Earth she kept Pete around as her henchmen instead of finding a much more experienced and competent one. Why couldn’t that obese cat be more like Diablo? At least her pet knows how to get things done properly…

At times, she wished that she still had Riku around – that boy proved to be quite useful for her plans, not just as a puppet but also a proper dark soldier. Yet he rejoined his friends and cut all ties with the witch. Damn this fate and damn the light!

After Riku’s departure, Maleficent began searching for other people that could assist her in obtaining the power of Kingdom Hearts in order to conquer the worlds yet it all proved to be a wild goose chase. Nobody naïve enough to manipulate and transform into the perfect puppet to serve the witch.

Even her own allies turned their backs on her – Ursula, Jafar, Oogie Boogie, Captain Hook, Queen of Hearts, Clayton… no matter, they were fools who would soon pay once she had total control of Kingdom Hearts. If she could best both Xehanort and the Guardians…

For now, she had to be content with Diablo and Pete – at least they were still loyal to her. She couldn’t find a puppet but that didn’t mean that she would stop trying in finding other ways to succeeding in her goals.

All she had to do was think of the perfect plan and then-

Maleficent’s eyes looked upwards due to hearing the noise of flapping wings that were coming from the ceiling. It was her loyal pet Diablo who was flying downwards and landing its claws atop the yellow orb on her staff.

“Ah, so good that you are back, my precious. I was afraid that something might have happened to you… yet I know you take very good care of yourself. What have you learned my, precious?” Maleficent inquired while petting the raven gently.

Diablo went on to explain the situation to his mistress – mainly the arrival of the wielder Millicent Willis in Traverse Town, the power that she possesses and the appearance of Kairi – the Seventh Princess of Heart.

Needless to say, Maleficent was very pleased with what Diablo had learned yet in her mind she was troubled – the arrival of a new wielder that was discovered by Kairi? No doubt Yen Sid and the blasted King sent her to Traverse Town in order to prove her worth that she was more than just a Damsel-in-Distress.

She did not care particularly on why Kairi was chosen since she was more focused on who this ‘Millie’ child is – mainly her appearance, the Keyblade she wields and how dangerous will she be in the upcoming war.

Using the power of her staff, she conjured a holographic image of the young child Millicent Willis. In her right hand, she was holding what looked like to be the Oathkeeper Keyblade – the symbolism of the relationship between the boy Sora and the girl Kairi.

“Fascinating.” Maleficent commented while observing the girl from top-to-bottom – one thing that she really focused on was the girl’s heart. From what the witch sensed; it was neutral – no glimmer of darkness detected - yet looks could be deceiving. Perhaps she is a member of Xehanort’s organization yet disguised as an ordinary person as to not get detected by the Guardians? A possibility…

In any case, this ‘Millie’ would not serve her a proper puppet since Maleficent couldn’t detect any glimmer of darkness in her heart. For now, she would be treated as an enemy just like Sora and his friends.

Speaking of enemies, the witch had to wonder how Pete was progressing with his task in observing Xehanort and his organization – mainly what exactly were they up to and why they were quiet these days? Her obese henchman maybe a blundering buffoon and an oath but he was at least loyal and persistent unlike the idiots that she worked with over the years.

Maleficent dismissed the projection of Millie before turning her attention to Diablo. “Well, my pet… it seems we have a rather large ‘road’ ahead of us. This new addition to the Guardians will certainly put a small snag in my plans yet it will not derail me from accomplishing my goal.” She told Diablo who nodded with an evil grin on his beak.

The witch smiled before petting him. “Indeed, my pet… for now, let’s us be off and have a little observation of this ‘Millie’ character.” She finished speaking before summoning a special kind of corridor.

The Mistress-of-all-Evil stepped through alongside the resting Diablo towards their unknown destination. Soon afterwards, the corridor closed and the throne room became silent.

**(Mysterious Tower (Outside) – Millie’s POV)**

The engines of the Gummi Ship came to a halt as our vessel landed gently onto the soft green ground. I looked out the window and saw the confusing yet delightful design of Yen Sid’s home – the Mysterious Tower. My mouth went agape and awed at the sight.

I can’t believe that I’m finally going to be a part of the Kingdom Hearts storyline as a wielder alongside the Guardians. So much excitement is flowing through my body as of now!

“Well, here we are… Master Yen Sid’s home. Ain’t it ‘mysterious’?” Kairi asked with a giggle as the moment was ruined by a pun.

I frowned at her. “Not cool, woman. Not cool.” I replied but she just grinned with another giggle. Turning off the controls, my red-haired companion got off from the chair and opened up the exit door.

“Shall we proceed?” Kairi inquired as I nodded.

The two of us exited the cockpit and made out way towards the teleporter room which would allow us to appear onto the soft green ground outside.

Then we would see just what Yen Sid and the King had in store for me…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: Its finally done! Sweet hell… that was a long writing process. Ugh… sorry for the long wait, fellow readers – got sidetracked with another damn author’s block which I deeply apologize for. Can’t believe that I updated this last in November 2019… oof, that is bad. Again, sorry about that.
> 
> Quick warning that the chapter may feature some spelling mistakes – due to stress and writing very quickly… if you all do spot a mistake, please inform me so that I may fix it!  
> So, we’ve finally moved onward with Millie heading straight for the Mysterious Tower alongside Kairi – now I haven’t forgotten about the romantic relationship yet. I’ve got ideas cooked up with that but first I wanna see if I can build a huge bond of friendship and trust between the two… we’ll see when exactly the romance will begin. Also, Maleficent has entered the fray – yay!
> 
> A thing I’d like to mention is that this story in contrast to the canon Kingdom Hearts will follow a somewhat different road than the original – mainly the first few games having much more development and open-world contents; more villains, NPCs, etc. That’s why some of the dialogue in the story will be a little bit more… different than usual.  
> Regarding my OCs in the role of villainous mercenaries, you (my readers) will no doubt meet them very soon. I hope you all enjoy their characters once I introduce them in the upcoming chapters. No breaks on evil as they say! XD
> 
> So, that’s all for now – hope you all have a wonderful day and happy reading! Promise that I will try and update more frequently. We’ll see what happens though – for now, enjoy yourselves and stay safe in your homes until the damn virus ends!
> 
> Adieu and happy reading! Laterz!


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